JPH0777633B2 - Automatic painting equipment - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic coating apparatus capable of automating coating by automatically recognizing the shape of an object to be conveyed and turning a spray gun on and off according to the shape. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Even in painting work, automation is required for the purpose of saving labor and improving painting quality.

In this way, as an automatic coating,
Conventionally, in addition to a so-called reciprocator, an automatic coating device that controls the spray gun to be turned on / off in synchronization with a conveyed object, a coating robot, and the like have been used.

[0004]

However, a reciprocator, a coating robot, etc. usually continuously and automatically coat an object whose shape is predetermined, so that lots of objects having different spray shapes can be applied. Each time you paint
It is necessary to select and enter a different program.

Further, even in the automatic coating apparatus, a memory control system such as a shift register type, a counter type, a computer type is used as a control system, and even when the objects having different shapes are sequentially conveyed, automatic coating is performed to some extent. Although it is possible, it is still necessary to input and store the shape of the article itself as a shape factor in advance, and the shape of the article to be conveyed without memorizing the shape is automatically calculated each time. It is not intended to apply the coating in recognition.

It is also conceivable that the spray gun is turned on / off by image processing data using an image pickup tube, an industrial television camera, etc. as a means for automatically recognizing the shape and performing automatic painting. The equipment is expensive.

The present invention is based on the fact that a detection device comprising a large number of sensors arranged in a direction traversing the conveying device is provided with position information containing information on the detection lateral length for each sensor, and the coating device having different shapes is applied. Even when an object is conveyed, it is possible to recognize the shape each time without memorizing the shape coefficient in advance and to paint according to the shape Simple construction, relatively inexpensive, and program input work for shape memory The purpose is to provide an automatic coating device that does not have any problems and is easy to operate.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is an automatic coating apparatus for automatically applying a coating agent in accordance with the shape of an article to be coated, the apparatus being a conveyor for conveying the article to be coated, and the article to be coated. A large number of sensors for detecting the object are arranged laterally across the conveying device and the object is detected by detecting the presence or absence of the object at each position separating the unit length as the object is conveyed. The work bit information in which the detected bit and the non-detected bit that are not detected are arranged, a detection device that generates each unit length position from the front end to the rear end in the transport direction, and is disposed in the coating booth provided in the transport device. A coating device having a movable tool that reciprocates in the lateral direction and a spray gun for automatic coating having a discharge port attached to the movable tool, and the spray of the coating device based on work bit information from the detection device. gun In addition to a control device for generating a painting signal for turning on and off, the control device has position information that defines a lateral position of the sensor for each of the sensors, and the position information is adjacent to each other. An automatic painting apparatus characterized in that when both sensors output the detection bit, the spray gun includes information on a detection horizontal length that is equal to or longer than the shortest continuous length in the horizontal direction that can keep turning on the spray gun between these bits. .

[0009]

The object to be coated conveyed by the conveying device is detected by the detecting device having a large number of sensors arranged in a direction crossing the conveying device for each unit length, and the detection bit and the non-detection bit are aligned. Bit information is generated for each unit length.

As described above, the shape of the object to be coated is recognized by obtaining the work bit information for each unit length having the detection bit for detecting the object to be coated.

Further, the control device includes, for each sensor, position information for determining the lateral position of the transfer device in its bit.

This position information includes information on the detection lateral length.
This detection horizontal length is the horizontal length that keeps the spray gun turned on by the one detection bit of each sensor, and this detection horizontal length is when both adjacent sensors output the detection bit. It has a length equal to or longer than the shortest connection length that allows the spray gun to continue to be turned on between bits.

This facilitates maintaining the continuity of the coating even when the sensors are spaced apart. Further, by using the position information having such information on the detected lateral length, it is possible to perform coating suitable for the shape of the object to be coated and the coating material by adjusting the detected lateral length.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2, an automatic coating device 1 includes a transport device 2 that transports an article W to be coated, a detection device 3 in which a large number of sensors S1 to Sn are arranged in a lateral direction across the transport device, a spray gun 4, and a spray gun 4. And a control device 6 for processing information from the detection device to generate a paint signal for turning on and off the spray guns 4, 4.

The transfer device 2 includes rotary members 10 and 1 at both ends.
The endless thin cord 12 is wound in a multi-striped manner between the one and the thin cord 12 is preferably a thick, thin, gusset-like thin body for fishing, which makes it easy to remove the coating material. Used.

The transfer device 2 is driven by a servomotor Mx, and is provided with, for example, a pulse generator PGx for detecting the number of revolutions of the transfer motor 2 and detecting the transfer distance of the article W to be transferred by the transfer device 2.

The coating device 5 has a movable tool 15 that reciprocates laterally in a box-shaped coating booth 14 that has an opening that extends over the transfer device 2 and through which an object to be coated passes, and the movable tool 15. And the spray gun 4 attached to the.

The coating booth 14 has a water tank 14A below it.
And an exhaust passage 14B is formed at one end.

As shown in FIG. 3, the coating booth 14 is provided with an inner plate 17 for horizontally partitioning the inside thereof, leaving the exhaust passage 14B, and the movable member 15 is arranged above it.

The movable member 15 includes rails 2 above and below a supporting frame 19 made of a channel steel extending in a direction traversing the conveying device 2.
Each of the upper and lower two wheels 21 rolling 0 and 20, a moving plate 22 supporting the wheels 21, and a hanging shaft 23 fixed to the moving plate 22 with a bracket, and the hanging shaft. 23. The spray guns 4, 4 are attached to the mounting hardware 24 whose height can be adjusted below 23 with the discharge ports downward.

Further, the hanging shaft 23 hangs downward from the notch groove 25 provided in the intermediate plate 17 and moves in the notch groove 25.

The movable member 15 reciprocates laterally by the driving member 25. In this example, the driving tool 25 has a rotating body such as a chain wheel at both ends of the support frame 19 and an endless cord 26 such as a chain wound around the supporting frame 19, and one traveling line of the cord 26. Is fixed to the fixed portion 22a of the movable plate 22, the movable tool 15 can be reciprocated laterally as the rotary body is rotated by the servo motor My, for example.

The fixed portion 22a can be reciprocated by rotating a rotating body that rotates in a fixed direction, or can be reciprocated within a predetermined range by using a detector SW such as a limit switch and the operating piece 27. The servo motor My can also be rotated forward and backward.

Further, the rotating body 10 is provided with, for example, a pulse generator PGy for detecting the rotation angle thereof and the moving distance of the movable member 15 from the reference point.

The detection device 3 is arranged upstream from the coating device 5 in order to prevent the coating device 5 from being contaminated by the coating material.

Further, in the detection device 3, as described above, a large number of photoelectric sensors S1 to Sn (hereinafter collectively referred to as sensors S) are arranged on the sensor mounting plate 29 which crosses the conveying device above it. There is.

As the sensor S, various types such as a transmission type and a reflection type photoelectric switch, an ultrasonic switch and an air center can be used, and when the object to be coated is a magnetic material such as steel, a magnetic sensor can also be used. .

Further, when the detection surface of the object to be coated is flat, a limit switch or the like can be appropriately used.

As shown in FIG. 4, the sensor S has a range of 1 in which the shape of the object to be coated can be recognized to the extent that it can be coated.
The pitch lengths Ps in the lateral direction of about 0 to 30 mm, 20 mm in this example, are arranged at intervals.

The pitch length Ps of the sensor S is determined by the conveying device 2
The pitch length Pc in the lateral direction of the above-mentioned thin cords 11 ... Is the same as each other, and half of the pitch lengths are laterally displaced from each other in order to prevent over-operation due to detection of the thin cords 11 ... .

As shown in FIG. 5, the control device 6 includes an operation circuit 30, an I / O module 31, and a calculation circuit 32 such as a sequencer. The calculation circuit 32 has a shape detection processing section 32A. , A carry amount detector 32B, a spray gun driver 32C, and an arithmetic processor 32D.

The I / O module 31 includes the detection device 3, a servo driver 33 that drives the servo motor My of the coating device 5, and a servo motor M of the transport device 2.
The inverter 34 for driving x is connected, and the output of the pulse generator PGx for detecting the rotation speed of the servomotor Mx is further connected.

The output of the pulse generator PGy for detecting the rotation speed of the servo motor My of the coating device 5 is connected to the servo driver 33.

In the controller 6, the transport amount detector 32B drives the servomotor Mx via the inverter 34 in response to a command from the operation circuit 30, and the transport device 2 transports the article W to be coated.

Further, the carry amount is calculated by the pulse generator PG.
It is grasped by the output of x. Further, the carry amount detection unit 32B is
The detection device 3 is driven for each unit length Lx of conveyance, and the I / O module 31 is stored in the shape detection processing unit 32A as time-division work bit information D for detecting an object to be coated.

The work bit information D is detected by a white circle output from the sensor S that has detected the object W to be coated, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 6 in which the sensor S uses twelve sensors S1 to S12. The bit Bw and the non-detection bit B ₀ indicated by a black circle output by a sensor that does not detect are time-division bit information arranged in the horizontal direction. For each unit length Lx, for example, 7 work bits in this example. Information D1 to D7
Is generated for one object to be coated, which is shape information for recognizing the shape of the object W to be coated.

Further, the shape detection processing section 32A of the control device 6 is
Each of the sensors S1 to S12 has a timer function that can be set in 1 second or less, and is handled as a detection bit Bw only when the object to be coated is continuously detected within the set time limit.

This is a first malfunction protection function for preventing malfunctions due to detection of minute objects other than the object W to be coated.

Further, in the shape detection processing unit 32A, like the sensor S6 in the work bit information D5 of FIG. 6, the sensors S5 and S7 on both sides thereof are the non-detection bit B ₀ regardless of the detection bit Bw. In some cases, the sensor S6 is provided with a second malfunction protection function that determines that the sensor S6 is malfunctioning as the detection bit Bw.

Further, the control device 6 includes a shape detection processing section 32.
In A, for the bit of the work bit information D, the position information for defining the lateral position of each sensor S in the transport device 2 is provided. Further, the position information includes information on the detected horizontal length Ly shown in FIG.

The detection horizontal length Ly means one detection bit B
In the lateral length range in which it is assumed that the object to be coated is present by w, and the sensors S adjacent to each other are both the detection bits Bw, a coating signal for turning on the spray gun 4 is applied between these bits. The minimum connection length Lm, which is the length in the lateral direction that can be continued at, is set to be equal to or greater than Lm.

This shortest connection length Lm becomes the pitch length Ls where the sensors S are adjacent to each other, as shown in FIG. 7, when symmetrically extending about each sensor S. By setting the detection lateral length Ly to be the same length Ly1 as the shortest connection length Lm, no overlap occurs between them.

When the detection lateral length Ly1.5 is longer, an overlapping portion OL1.5 is generated, and the shortest connection length Lm is 2.
By setting the detection lateral length Ly2 of double length, the overlapping portion OL2 having the same length as the pitch length Ps is generated.

At this time, the coating signal can be continuously generated by every other sensor S.

Further, such a detection lateral length Ly can be manually adjusted within a range exceeding the shortest connection length Lm.

Further, the carry amount detector 32B of the controller 6
The pulse generator PGx sequentially calculates the carry amount of the object to be coated and the carry amount of the spray gun 4 of the coating apparatus 5 to the coating position.

The spray gun drive unit 32C calculates the position of the spray gun 4 in the lateral direction from the reference point by the pulse generator PGy, and the arithmetic processing unit 32D.
Then, the lateral movement speed of the spray gun 4 is obtained according to the amount of the object W to be transferred which is transmitted from the transfer detector 32B, and the servo driver 33 gives a My speed command to the servo motor.

Further, the arithmetic processing section 32D includes a shape detection processing section 3
The work bit information D stored in 2A is taken out, and a coating signal is sent to the coating device 5 together with the information about the carry amount of the carry amount detection unit 32B and the information about the lateral position of the spray gun of the spray gun drive unit 32C. .

In FIG. 6, it is assumed that the work bit information D is stationary, and traces of the movement of the spray gun 4 relative to the work bit information D are shown by lines Q1 to Q5.

First, when the detection lateral length Ly is not given to the sensor S, the sensor of the work bit information D1 on the upstream side in the transport direction in the first path Q1 of the spray gun 4 is advanced as the object W to be coated advances. The detection bits Bw1-7 and Bw1-6 in S7 and S6 generate a coating signal for turning on the spray gun 4.

Further, the path Q2 in which the spray gun 4 is reversed.
Then, the coating signal is generated at the detection bits Bw2-5 to Bw2-7.

The same applies to each of the routes Q3 to Q5, and the outer ends of the routes Q1 to Q5 that generate the coating signal are connected to form a one-dot chain line a.

On the other hand, when the detection lateral length Ly which is the same as the shortest connection length Lm is given, the half length of the pitch length Ls of the sensor S is increased in the lateral direction as shown by the line b connecting the outer edges. The paint signal can be generated in the entire range.

Further, in the arithmetic processing section 32D, the work bit information D can be shifted in position and overlapped, and the information of the work bit information D can be brought closer to the shape of the object to be coated.

In FIG. 8, the work bit information D1 to D7 from the work bit information D1 at the front end to the work bit information D7 at the rear end in the carrying direction is transferred from the original position of the work bit information D1 to D7. The same work bit information D1 to the positions separating half of the unit length Lx in the front and rear respectively.
By arranging D7, the forward work bit information Da1 to Da7 and the backward work bit information Db1 to D7 are provided.
b7 can be obtained, and the arithmetic processing unit 32D has such a superimposing function.

In superposition, the detection bit Bw has priority over the non-detection bit Bo. The superposition work bit information group thus obtained can be made closer to the shape of the object to be coated in the above-mentioned direction and the lateral direction, and the accuracy of coating can be improved.

As the superposition, the unit length Lx can be further subdivided or superposed at positions other than the intermediate position, or only one group of work bit information D can be superposed.

Further, the arithmetic processing section 32D may have an addition function and a deletion function. As shown in FIG. 9, the additional function is a function of adding the work bit information Dp1 and Dp7 identical to the work bit information D1 and D7 at the front end and the rear end to the front and rear of the work bit information D1 and Dp7, respectively. Along with the increase, the shape can be stretched back and forth and laterally.

As shown in FIG. 10, the delete function is to remove the work bit information D1 and D7 at the front and rear ends and / or to remove the outermost detection bit Bwo in each work bit information D1 to D7. The function to remove.

As shown in FIG. 11, the delete function is such that both edges of the object to be coated are arcs Wa and the sagging of the coating material is prevented.
It is used for inward spraying for coating a length range L1 shorter than the length Lw of the object to be coated. Such coating is effective when using, for example, UV coating, which requires thick coating.

When so-called overspraying is performed, coating can be performed within the range of the length L2, which exceeds the length Lw, and an additional function can be used.

Further, the adding and deleting functions can be used together with the superimposing function, and the adding and deleting functions can detect the detection lateral length L.
Along with the y adjustment circuit, it can be switched and adjusted by a switch lever or the like (not shown) provided in the operation circuit 30.

Further, in the position of the present invention, the movable tool 15 of the spray gun 4 always reciprocates between the both ends of the support frame 19 with a full stroke so that the spray gun 5 is turned on only within the range of the detection bit. , The work bit information D is folded by the detection bits at both ends, and continuously turned on from the work bit information at the front end to the work bit information at the rear end in the transport direction, when the object to be coated is left. It can also be configured to turn off. Further, in the apparatus, it is possible to spray the work of various shapes such as a triangle, a rectangle, a circle, and an annular shape.

[0064]

As described above, the apparatus according to the present invention recognizes the shape each time and stores the coating according to the shape without storing the shape coefficient in advance even when the objects to be coated having different shapes are conveyed. It has a simple configuration, is relatively inexpensive, and has excellent operability because there is no program input work for shape memory.

Further, since the position information includes the information of the detection lateral length, it is easy to maintain the continuity of the coating even when the sensors are spaced apart from each other.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the outline of the overall configuration of an embodiment of an automatic coating apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a movable tool.

FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating a detection device.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a circuit.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a coating range by a control device.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a shortest connection length and a detection horizontal length.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an overlapping function.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating additional functions.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a delete function.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an object to be coated.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Transport device 3 Detection device 4 Spray gun 5 Coating device 6 Control device 15 Moving tool Bw Detection bit Bo Non-detection bit D, D1 to D7 Work bit information Lm Minimum connection length Ly, Ly1 to Ly2 Detection horizontal length

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An automatic coating device for automatically applying a coating material according to the shape of an object to be coated, comprising a conveyor device for conveying the object to be coated, and a plurality of sensors for detecting the object to be coated. A detection bit that detects the object to be coated and a non-detection that does not detect the object to be coated by a sensor that is arranged in a lateral direction across the transport device and that detects the presence or absence of the object to be coated at each position separating the unit length as the object is transported. Detecting device for generating work bit information lined up with bits for each unit length position from the front end to the rear end in the transport direction, and a movable tool arranged in the coating booth provided in the transport device and reciprocating in the lateral direction. And a coating device having a spray gun for automatic coating with a discharge port attached to the movable tool, and a coating signal for turning on / off the spray gun of the coating device based on work bit information by the detection device. Together comprise a resulting control device,
The control device has position information that defines a lateral position of the transport device for each of the sensors, and this position information indicates that the spray gun is turned on when the adjacent sensors output the detection bit together. along with including information shortest continuous length or more sensing horizontal length of the horizontal direction can be continued between these bits, the control device, the detection
It is possible to adjust the horizontal length within the range that exceeds the shortest continuous length.
Automatic coating equipment characterized by 2. The control device has an additional function of adding the same work bit information as the front and rear end work bit information in the transport direction to the front and rear of the front end and rear end work bit information, respectively. The automatic coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The control device has a deletion function of deleting the work bit information at the front end and the rear end in the transport direction and deleting the detection bit at the outermost end of each work bit information. The automatic coating device according to claim 1. Wherein the control device, the work bit information from the front end in the transport direction to the rear end, the work bit information and each the same work bit information, respectively the distance from the position separating the unit length of the corresponding The automatic coating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a stacking function of arranging the two in a position where they are separated from each other.