JP7709801B1 - Painting aids - Google Patents

Abstract

A painting aid that is attached to a painting handpiece and projects and indicates the paint spray center position is provided.
[Solution] The auxiliary tool is attached to a painting handpiece 50 and comprises laser light emitters 2a, 2c that emit line laser light toward the paint discharge side, a holder 21A arranged on the side of the handpiece body 51 and holding the laser light emitters 2a, 2c in predetermined positions, and a holder fixing device 25 that fixes the holder 21A to the handpiece 50, wherein a first line laser light emitted from the laser light emitter 2a is emitted in the paint discharge direction and passes on the axial line of the handpiece body 51, and a second line laser light emitted from the laser light emitter 2c is emitted in the paint discharge direction, passes on the axial line of the handpiece body 51 and intersects with the first line laser light, according to the painting auxiliary tool 20A.
[Selection] Figure 13

Description

The present invention relates to a painting aid that is attached to a painting handpiece and projects and indicates the center position of the paint spray.

Conventionally, airbrushes have been used as small, easy-to-operate non-contact painting tools. When painting with an airbrush, the worker must operate the handpiece while looking at it from diagonally behind, whether he or she is using the handpiece with the right hand or the left hand. This has led to a problem that it is impossible or difficult to know where the paint spray center position is until the paint is actually sprayed from the handpiece.
In addition, it is relatively easy to predict the position of the center of the paint spray when the distance from the paint nozzle of the handpiece to the object to be painted is close, around 10 mm; however, as this distance increases, it becomes more difficult to predict the position of the center of the paint spray, so a certain amount of experience is required to spot paint any desired location using a handpiece (airbrush).
As a prior application for dealing with the above-mentioned conventional situation, for example, a technique such as that disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-233665 is known.

Patent Document 1 discloses an invention entitled "Coating Machine and Coating Method" that relates to a coating machine used for spray painting and a coating method.
The coating machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a coating machine that has a spray gun body and is used when spray painting a surface to be coated, and is configured to irradiate two visible first straight light beams that intersect at a position a predetermined set distance from the spray gun body, and is characterized in that it is equipped with a coating distance confirmation means that notifies of a deviation between the painting distance from the spray gun body to the surface to be coated and the set distance based on the presence or absence of a deviation in the irradiation point where the two first straight light beams intersect on the surface to be coated, and a travel distance confirmation means that irradiates a visible second straight light beam on the surface to be coated that intersects with the surface to be coated at a position a predetermined distance away from the intersection point of the two first straight light beams.

JP 2013-173122 A

In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the distance to the object to be painted is a predetermined fixed distance, the paint spray center position is indicated as the intersection point of a laser pointer (dot laser), but when the distance to the object to be painted is not a predetermined fixed distance, the paint spray center position cannot be known.

The present invention was made to address these conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide a painting aid that can be attached to the handpiece of an airbrush and can project and show the center position of the paint spray area sprayed from the handpiece onto the surface of the object to be painted, regardless of the distance to the object.

The painting auxiliary tool, which is a first invention for solving the above problems, is an auxiliary tool that is attached to a painting handpiece and projects and indicates the paint spray center position, and is equipped with a laser light emitter that emits a line laser light on the paint ejection side, a holder that is arranged on the side of the handpiece body and holds the laser light emitter in a predetermined position, and a fixing structure that fixes the holder to the handpiece body, characterized in that the first line laser light emitted from the first laser light emitter, which is the laser light emitter, is emitted in the paint ejection direction and passes on the axial center line of the handpiece body, and the second line laser light emitted from the second laser light emitter, which is the laser light emitter, is emitted in the paint ejection direction and passes on the axial center line of the handpiece body and intersects with the first line laser light.

In the first invention having the above-mentioned configuration, the first and second laser light emitters respectively emit first and second laser light in the paint ejection direction, i.e., in the direction from the center position of the nozzle of the handpiece toward the spray center position of the paint spray area on the surface to be painted.
The holder holds the first and second laser beam emitters at predetermined positions, respectively, so that the first and second laser beam emitters can be indirectly attached to the handpiece body by attaching the holder to the handpiece body.
The holder as described above can be fixed to the handpiece body by a fixing structure.
When a holder (= auxiliary tool) equipped with the first and second laser light emitters is attached to the handpiece body, the first line laser light emitted from the first laser light emitter passes along the axial line of the handpiece body, and the second line laser light emitted from the second laser light emitter passes along the axial line of the handpiece body and intersects with the first line laser light, thereby allowing the spray center position in the paint spray area on the surface to be painted to be indicated as the intersection of the first line laser light and the second line laser light.
Moreover, this intersection point is indicated on the surface to be painted regardless of the distance from the paint nozzle of the handpiece to the surface to be painted.
However, depending on the mounting positions of the first and second laser light emitters, it may not be possible to indicate the center position of the injection when the paint is applied very close to the needle cap of the handpiece. However, this is not a problem in practice because the center position of the injection can be grasped visually when applying paint at close range.

The second invention is the first invention described above, characterized in that the laser light emitter has a laser light generating mechanism that generates dot laser light and a lenticular lens arranged on the emission side of the dot laser light.

In the second invention having the above configuration, a mechanism used in a laser pointer can be used as the laser light generating mechanism for generating the dot laser light. Therefore, the laser light emitter in the second invention can be composed of a laser pointer, which is a general-purpose product, and a lenticular lens.
That is, in the second aspect of the invention, the structure of the laser beam emitters (first and second laser beam emitters) that emit line laser beams can be made extremely simple.

The third invention is the second invention described above, characterized in that the direction in which the stripes of the lenticular lens constituting the first laser light emitter extend intersects with the direction in which the stripes of the lenticular lens constituting the second laser light emitter extend.

In the third invention having the above configuration, when the painting auxiliary tool (third invention) is viewed from the side on which the lenticular lens is arranged with the first and second laser light emitters attached to the holder, the angle between the directions in which the stripes of the lenticular lenses constituting the first and second laser light emitters extend and intersect corresponds to the angle between the first and second line laser light beams intersect.
Therefore, when the angle between the first and second line laser beams when they intersect is set to a desired value (e.g., a right angle), the position of the first and second laser beam emitters can be easily adjusted.

The fourth invention is any one of the first to third inventions described above, characterized in that the fixing structure is provided at the overlapping portion between the side surface of the handpiece body and the holder, or at the overlapping portion between the outer surface of a fixture provided on the side surface of the handpiece body and the holder, and has a fitting structure in which the male and female structures engage when the holder is slid in the axial direction of the handpiece body.

In the fourth invention, the holder is attached to the side of the handpiece body via a fitting structure provided at the overlapping portion between the side of the handpiece body and the holder, or via a fitting structure provided at the overlapping portion between the outer surface of a fixture provided on the side of the handpiece body and the holder, thereby improving the accuracy of the attachment positions of the first and second laser light emitters on the side of the handpiece body.

The fifth invention is any one of the first to third inventions described above, characterized in that the handpiece body is provided with a cup for containing paint on its peripheral surface, and when the handpiece equipped with the above-mentioned auxiliary tool is viewed from the paint nozzle side with the axis of the handpiece body horizontal, the cup is disposed vertically above the nozzle, the first laser light emitter is disposed directly below the cup with the nozzle between them, and the second laser light emitter is disposed to the right of the cup and the nozzle.

In the fifth invention having the above configuration, by arranging the cup, the first laser light emitter, and the second laser light emitter as described above, it is possible to provide a painting aid that is particularly suitable for operating the handpiece with the right hand.

The sixth invention is any one of the first to third inventions described above, characterized in that the handpiece body is provided with a cup for containing paint on its peripheral surface, and when the handpiece equipped with the above-mentioned auxiliary tool is viewed from the paint nozzle side with the axis of the handpiece body horizontal, the cup is disposed vertically above the nozzle, the first laser light emitter is disposed directly below the cup with the nozzle between them, and the second laser light emitter is disposed to the left of the cup and the nozzle.

In the sixth invention having the above configuration, by arranging the cup, the first laser light emitter, and the second laser light emitter as described above, it is possible to provide a painting aid that is particularly suitable for operating the handpiece with the left hand.

According to the first aspect of the invention as described above, the spray center position of the paint spray area can be projected and indicated on the surface to be painted, regardless of the distance from the paint spray nozzle of the handpiece to the surface to be painted.
In this case, even if a user of the airbrush handpiece is not fully trained in its operation, it becomes easy to apply paint to a desired position on a surface to be painted.
Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the operability and convenience of the airbrush can be improved.

According to the second invention, the structure of the laser light emitter can be simplified, and the second invention can be easily manufactured using a general-purpose laser pointer, so the manufacturing costs of the second invention can be reduced.

According to the third invention, the work of attaching the first and second laser light emitters to the holder can be simplified so that the angle at which the first line laser light and the second line laser light intersect is a desired value (e.g., perpendicular).
In this case, the work of mounting the first and second laser beam emitters on the holder can be simplified, thereby improving the productivity of the third aspect of the invention.
Furthermore, when either or both of the first and second laser beam emitters are to be replaced or customized as necessary, the work can be performed by the user, not by the manufacturer.
Therefore, according to the third invention, a painting assistant tool with excellent operability and versatility can be provided.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to further improve the accuracy of the paint spray center position indicated by the intersection point of the first and second laser beams emitted from the first and second laser beam emitters.
Furthermore, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, the risk that the holder having the first and second laser beam emitters will be unintentionally detached when the handpiece is in use can be significantly reduced.
Therefore, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a painting auxiliary tool with higher performance can be provided.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a painting assistant tool can be provided that is particularly easy to use when the handpiece is operated with the right hand.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the convenience of the painting auxiliary tool can be improved.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a painting assistant tool can be provided that is particularly easy to use when the handpiece is operated with the left hand.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the convenience of the painting auxiliary tool can be improved.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the painting auxiliary tool according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the painting auxiliary tool according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining how to attach the painting auxiliary tool according to the embodiment to a handpiece. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the painting auxiliary tool according to the embodiment attached to a handpiece. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a laser beam emitter according to an embodiment of the present invention and a line laser beam emitted from the laser beam emitter; 6 is a cross-sectional view (partial view) taken along line AA in FIG. 5. 1 is a view showing a coating auxiliary tool according to an embodiment of the present invention attached to a handpiece, as viewed from the nozzle side of the handpiece. (8A) is a diagram of the laser light emitters arranged on the left and right sides of the handpiece nozzle in the state shown in Figure 7, viewed from the side where the lenticular lens is arranged, and (8B) is a diagram of the laser light emitter arranged vertically below the handpiece nozzle in the state shown in Figure 7, viewed from the side where the lenticular lens is arranged. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the painting auxiliary tool according to the present embodiment is used when only two laser beam emitters are used. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another usage state in which only two laser beam emitters are used in the painting auxiliary tool according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11A is a perspective view of a holder for a painting auxiliary tool according to Modification 1, and FIG. 11B is a view of the holder according to Modification 1 as viewed from the direction indicated by the symbol C in FIG. 11A. FIG. 12A is a perspective view of a holder for a painting auxiliary tool according to Modification 2, and FIG. 11B is a view of the holder according to Modification 1 as viewed from the direction indicated by symbol C' in FIG. 12A. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a painting auxiliary tool according to another embodiment attached to a handpiece. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a painting assistant according to another embodiment. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a holder fixture according to another embodiment. 10A to 10C are perspective views showing a procedure for attaching a painting auxiliary tool according to another embodiment to a handpiece. 10A to 10C are perspective views showing a procedure for attaching a painting auxiliary tool according to another embodiment to a handpiece. 13 is a view showing a handpiece equipped with a painting auxiliary tool according to another embodiment, as viewed obliquely from below. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of a painting assistant tool according to another embodiment taken along line VV in FIG. 18. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the painting assistant tool according to another embodiment taken along the line W-W in FIG. 18. 13 is a view of a handpiece to which a painting auxiliary tool according to another embodiment is attached, as viewed from the nozzle side. FIG. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a holder for a painting auxiliary tool according to a modified example of another embodiment. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a state in which a coating auxiliary tool according to a modified example of another embodiment is attached to a handpiece. FIG. 11 is a view of a handpiece to which a coating auxiliary tool according to a modified example of another embodiment is attached, as viewed from the nozzle side.

The painting aid according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 to 24. Note that the following description of the preferred embodiment is merely exemplary in nature.

Prior to describing the present invention, the handpiece of the airbrush will be described with reference to FIG.
Handpiece 50, to which the painting auxiliary tool of the present invention is attached, is composed of, for example, a handpiece body 51 consisting of a hollow tubular body that is held directly in the user's hand and operated during painting work, a head 52, a paint nozzle 53, and a needle cap 54 which are parts around the paint nozzle and are provided at the tip end of handpiece body 51, a shaft cap 60 and a needle stopper 61 which are provided at the end end of handpiece body 51 and mainly store parts related to the operating mechanism of the needle (not shown), and an air supply section 55 which protrudes from the peripheral side surface vertically below the trunk of handpiece body 51 and has an air hose joint 56.

Although not specifically shown, the air supply unit 55 is connected to a supply facility for a pressurized fluid (compressed air), such as a compressor.
Furthermore, the handpiece body 51 is integrally provided with a hollow container-like cup 58 for containing paint on the peripheral surface on the vertically upper side at the tip side thereof, and the opening of this cup 58 is provided with a lid 59 .

In the handpiece 50 shown in FIG. 4 , a flow path for supplying a pressurized fluid such as compressed air (not shown) is formed from an air supply unit 55 through the inside of the handpiece body 51, the head 52, and the paint nozzle 53 to an outlet located inside the needle cap 54, and a flow path for supplying paint (liquid) contained in a cup 58 is connected to this flow path for the pressurized fluid.
In the handpiece 50 as described above, when the pressurized fluid (compressed air) supplied from the air supply unit 55 is sprayed from the paint nozzle, the paint contained in the cup 58 is drawn into the pressurized fluid flow path by the negative pressure generated in the flow path, and the paint is sprayed from the nozzle together with the pressurized fluid.

In the handpiece 50, the opening and closing of the paint nozzle is performed by moving a needle (needle valve) (not shown). Furthermore, the amount of movement of this needle and the flow rate of the pressurized fluid supplied from the air supply unit 55 are adjusted by operating a push button 57 provided on the handpiece body 51.
Furthermore, when a user uses handpiece 50 to perform painting work, he or she holds air supply portion 55 of handpiece 50 in the palm of the dominant hand, holds the barrel of handpiece body 51 between the thumb and middle finger of the dominant hand, and operates push button 57 with the tip of the index finger of that hand.

[1-1: About this embodiment]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A configuration of a painting assistant tool according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 12. Figs.
As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the painting auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment is mainly composed of laser light emitters 2a to 2c that emit line laser light 8a to 8c, respectively, in the paint discharge direction P (see Figure 4), i.e., in the direction from the center position of the paint nozzle in handpiece 50 toward the spray center position Q of the paint spray area R formed on an imaginary plane 16 (the surface to be painted), a holder 3 that holds these laser light emitters 2a to 2c individually at a desired interval on the peripheral side of handpiece body 51, and a fixing structure that fixes this holder 3 to the peripheral side of handpiece body 51.

More specifically, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the holder 3 includes a holder main body 3c, which is formed by, for example, vertically splitting a metal or resin cylinder into two halves, and chamfering the four corners of the half-cylinder as necessary, and three holding structures 6a to 6c that protrude radially from the curved surface (arc) that is the outer surface 3b of the holder main body 3c and individually hold the laser light emitters 2a to 2c.
Furthermore, the inner surface 3 a of the holder body 3 c has a curved shape that fits along the peripheral side surface of the handpiece body 51 .

The holding structures 6a to 6c protruding from the outer surface 3b of the holder body 3c all have the same shape.
More specifically, each of the holding structures 6a to 6c is in the shape of a short cylinder having a hollow portion into which the laser light emitters 2a to 2c having a short cylindrical outer shape can be individually inserted, and is composed of a socket 4 fixed integrally to the outer surface 3b of the holder main body 3c, a screw hole 9 formed through the thickness direction of the socket 4, and a fixing screw 5 screwed into the screw hole 9 and used to fix the laser light emitters 2a to 2c, which are inserted into the hollow portion of each socket 4, to each socket 4.

Furthermore, the inner surface 3a of the holder 3 is provided with an adhesive sheet 7 (adhesive member) which is a fixing structure for fixing the holder 3 onto the peripheral side surface of the handpiece body 51.

To attach the painting aid 1 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 to a handpiece 50, as shown in FIG. 3, it is sufficient to press the inner surface 3a of the holder 3 together with the adhesive sheet 7 against the peripheral side surface on the vertically lower side of the handpiece body 51 (the portion hatched by dashed lines in FIG. 3), i.e., directly below the cup 58 of the handpiece body 51.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the handpiece 50 to which the painting auxiliary tool 1 according to this embodiment is attached.
When removing the painting assistant tool 1 according to this embodiment from the handpiece 50, the above steps can be carried out in reverse order.

The structures of the laser beam emitters 2a to 2c will now be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Since the laser beam emitters 2a to 2c all have the same structure, the structure of the laser beam emitter 2b will be described here as an example.
As shown in Figure 5, the laser light emitter 2b is configured to emit line laser light 8b from the emission port 11a in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the housing 11 and toward the front side of the emission port 11a (the side where the housing 11 is not arranged).

As shown in FIG. 6, the laser light emitter 2b is composed of a conventionally known laser light generating mechanism 12 that is made of metal or resin and is housed in the hollow portion of, for example, a cylindrical housing 11, a concave lens 14 that is arranged on the side of the exit 11a of the housing 11 and converts the laser light 13 generated by the laser light generating mechanism 12 into dot laser light 15, and a lenticular lens 10 that is arranged on the side of the concave lens 14 where the dot laser light 15 is emitted and that is provided so as to cover the exit 11a of the housing 11.

Although not shown in FIG. 6, the laser beam emitter 2 b further includes a power supply mechanism (a battery or power supply wiring, a switch, etc.) for supplying power to the laser beam generating mechanism 12 .
In the laser beam emitter 2b, the combination of the laser beam generating mechanism 12 and the concave lens 14 constitutes a dot laser beam generating mechanism, which is a configuration that is included in a conventionally known laser pointer.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lenticular lens 10 has a structure in which one side of a light-transmitting resin sheet is flat and the other side has semi-cylindrical (fine semi-cylindrical) protrusions 10a arranged without gaps.
In the laser beam emitter 2b, the flat surface of the lenticular lens 10 having the above-mentioned structure is disposed on the emission side of the line laser beam 8b, and the surface on which the protrusions 10a are arranged without gaps is disposed on the laser beam generating mechanism 12 side.
When such a laser beam emitter 2a is viewed from the side of its emission port 11a, the streaks 10b formed between the plurality of protrusions 10a constituting the lenticular lens 10 can be visually confirmed.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, in such a laser light emitter 2a, when the line laser light 8b emitted from the exit 11a to the front side of the lenticular lens 10 reaches the imaginary plane 16, the direction in which the line laser light 8b projected on this imaginary plane 16 extends is perpendicular to the direction in which the stripes 10b of the lenticular lens 10 extend.

In other words, in the painting auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment, the direction in which the line laser light 8a to 8c extends is perpendicular to the direction in which the stripes 10b of the lenticular lens 10 extend, so by checking the direction in which the stripes 10b of the lenticular lens 10 that constitute the laser light emitters 2a to 2c extend, it is possible to indirectly know the direction in which the line laser light (line laser light 8a to 8c) emitted from the laser light emitters (laser light emitters 2a to 2c) will extend when it reaches the virtual plane 16 (the surface to be painted).
Therefore, in the painting auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment, by utilizing the above-mentioned characteristics of the laser light emitters (laser light emitters 2a to 2c), it is possible to easily and reliably achieve a state in which two line laser beams (line laser beam 8a and line laser beam 8b, or line laser beam 8a and line laser beam 8c) intersect by using laser light emitters having the same structure and simply adjusting the orientation when attaching them to the handpiece body 51 as appropriate.

The positional relationship between the handpiece 50 and the laser beam emitters 2a to 2c will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. The direction indicated by the symbol B in Figures 7 and 8 is the vertical direction.
In the painting auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment, a laser beam emitter 2a (= first laser beam emitter) is attached so that a line laser beam 8a (= first line laser beam) emitted in a paint ejection direction P (which in this embodiment is the same as the axial direction of the handpiece body 51, and more specifically, the same as the axial direction of a needle not shown) passes along the axial line of the handpiece body 51 (see Figure 7).
Furthermore, in the painting auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment, the laser light emitter 2b (= second laser light emitter) and the laser light emitter 2c (= second laser light emitter) are attached so that the line laser light 8b (= second line laser light) and the line laser light 8c (= second line laser light) emitted in the paint ejection direction P (which in this embodiment is the same as the axial direction of the handpiece body 51, and more specifically, the same as the axial direction of the needle not shown) pass along the axial line of the handpiece body 51 and intersect with the line laser light 8a (see Figure 7).
Although the object of the present invention can be sufficiently achieved as long as the line laser light 8a and the line laser light 8b or 8c intersect with each other, it is preferable that they are perpendicular to each other.

When the laser beam emitters 2a to 2c are arranged on the peripheral side surface of the handpiece body 51 as shown in FIG. 7, the stripes 10b of the lenticular lens 10 provided at the emission port 11a of the laser beam emitter 2a extend horizontally as shown in FIG. 8A.
As shown in FIG. 8B, the stripes 10b of the lenticular lens 10 provided at the emission opening 11a of the laser beam emitter 2b or the laser beam emitter 2c extend in the vertical direction.
In this way, in the painting auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment, by checking the direction in which the stripes 10b of the lenticular lens 10 that constitutes the laser light emitters 2a to 2c extend, it is possible to know the angle formed by the line laser light 8a that has reached the imaginary plane 16 (the surface to be painted) and the line laser light 8b or the line laser light 8c when they intersect.

When the painting auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment is attached to a handpiece 50 and line laser beams 8a to 8c are irradiated from each of the laser beam emitters 2a to 2c toward an imaginary plane 16 (the object to be painted) on the front side of the needle cap 54, as shown in Figure 4 above, the spray center position Q in the paint spray area R is shown as the intersection point of the line laser beam 8a and the line laser beam 8b, or as the intersection point of the line laser beam 8a and the line laser beam 8c.
Furthermore, whether the virtual plane 16 (object to be painted) approaches or moves away from the paint nozzle 54a inside the needle cap 54, the spray center position Q in the paint spray area R can be shown as the intersection of the line laser light 8a and the line laser light 8b or the line laser light 8c.

[1-2: Effects of the Present Embodiment]
According to the painting auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment, regardless of the distance from the paint nozzle 54a of the handpiece 50 to the object to be painted, the spray center position Q in the paint spray area R can be projected onto the surface of the object to be painted, that is, shown as the intersection of the line laser light 8a and the line laser light 8b or the line laser light 8c.
However, depending on the mounting positions of the laser light emitters 2a to 2c, it may not be possible to indicate the spray center position Q when the imaginary plane 16 (the surface to be competed against) is located very close to the needle cap 54 of the handpiece 50. However, in normal use, at such close distances, the paint spray center position Q can be grasped visually, so this is not a problem in practice.

According to the painting auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment, even if a user of the airbrush handpiece 50 is not familiar with its operation, it becomes easy to properly apply paint to a desired position on a surface to be painted.
Therefore, according to the painting auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment, the operability and convenience of the airbrush can be improved.

In the painting aid 1 according to this embodiment, the laser light emitters 2a-2c are configured with a dot laser light generating mechanism (e.g., a combination of a laser light generating mechanism 12 and a concave lens 14) and a lenticular lens 10. When attaching the laser light emitters 2a-2c to the holding structures 6a-6c of the holder 3, the direction in which the lines of the line laser light 8a-8c projected onto the virtual plane 16 extend can be easily determined from the direction in which the streaks 10b of the lenticular lens 10 extend.

This makes it easy to arrange the laser beam emitter 2a and the laser beam emitter 2b so that the angle formed by the intersection of the line laser beam 8a and the line laser beam 8b projected on the virtual plane 16 is a desired value (e.g., a right angle), or to arrange the laser beam emitter 2a and the laser beam emitter 2c so that the angle formed by the intersection of the line laser beam 8a and the line laser beam 8c is a desired value (e.g., a right angle). In other words, a high-performance painting auxiliary tool 1 can be easily manufactured.

In this case, when replacing the laser light emitters 2a to 2c or customizing them as necessary, the user can easily set up the laser light emitters 2a to 2c themselves, making it possible to provide a highly convenient and versatile painting auxiliary tool 1.

In the painting auxiliary tool 1 according to this embodiment, the case where all of the laser light emitters 2a to 2c are used (see FIG. 4) is described as an example, but the intended effect can also be fully achieved when only the laser light emitters 2a and 2b are used (see FIG. 9) or when only the laser light emitters 2a and 2c are used (see FIG. 10).

[1-3: Detailed structure and modified examples of this embodiment]
(Regarding fixed structure)
In the painting auxiliary tool 1 according to this embodiment, an adhesive sheet 7 (on both sides) is used as the fixing structure for fixing the holder 3 to the handpiece body 51, but in addition to the adhesive sheet 7, a fixing belt may be provided on the holder 3, and the holder 3 may be tightly fixed to the handpiece body 51 using this fixing belt.
Alternatively, a flange may be provided protruding from the side edge of the housing portion of the handpiece body 51 of the holder 3 (the side on which the laser beam emitters 2b and 2c are arranged), and a fixing member having the same configuration as the holder 3 equipped with this flange (but not having the holding structures 6a to 6c) may be separately prepared, and the handpiece body 51 may be clamped between the holder 3 and this fixing member, and the overlapping portions of the flanges may be fixed with bolts and nuts or screws.

(Laser light emitter)
The mechanism for generating the dot laser light 15 constituting the laser light emitters 2a to 2c according to this embodiment is not limited to that shown in FIG. 6, and a conventionally known mechanism (mechanism used in a laser pointer) can be used without any problems.

(About lenticular lenses)
As the lenticular lens 10 constituting the laser beam emitters 2a to 2c according to this embodiment, for example, a lenticular lens of up to 200 LPI (200 lines) manufactured by Fujifilm Corporation can be used without any problems.
The lenticular lens 10 may be manufactured by a manufacturer other than the above, but as long as the number of lines is equal to or less than the upper limit mentioned above, it can exhibit the intended function of the present invention.

In the laser beam emitters 2a to 2c according to this embodiment, the intended function can be achieved even when the front and back of the lenticular lens 10 shown in FIG. 5 are reversed.
In other words, in the laser light emitters 2a to 2c, the surface of the lenticular lens 10 on which the protrusions 10a are arranged without gaps is arranged on the emission side of the line laser light 8a to 8c, and the flat surface of the lenticular lens 10 is arranged on the side of the laser light generating mechanism 12, so that the line laser light 8a to 8c can be emitted.

(Modifications of painting aids)
A user holds the handpiece 50 in his/her dominant hand to operate it. Therefore, the painting assistant tool 1 according to this embodiment may be provided in a form suitable for use with the right hand (Modification 1) or a form suitable for use with the left hand (Modification 2).
In the following description, the same components as those of the painting assistant tool 1 according to the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted, and only the different components will be described below.

<Modification 1>
A coating assistant tool according to a first modified example, which is suitable for using the handpiece 50 with the right hand, will be described with reference to Figs. 7, 9 and 11. Figs.
The painting assistant tool 1A according to the first modification has a configuration in which the holding structure 6c and the laser beam emitter 2c in the painting assistant tool 1 shown in FIG. 1 are removed.

More specifically, when painting auxiliary tool 1A of variant 1 is attached to handpiece body 51 of handpiece 50 and viewed from the nozzle 54a side with the axis of handpiece body 51 horizontal, as shown in Figure 7, cup 58 for containing paint is positioned vertically above nozzle 54a, laser beam emitter 2a is positioned directly below cup 58 with nozzle 54a between them, and laser beam emitter 2b is positioned to the right of cup 58 and nozzle 54a.
11A and 11B show only the holder 3 in the paint assistant 1A according to the modified example 1. Also, the adhesive sheet 7 is omitted in Figs. 11A and 11B.

When the line laser beam 8a and the line laser beam 8b are emitted using the painting auxiliary tool 1A according to the first modification, the projection state becomes the same as that shown in FIG.
In other words, as shown in Figure 9, a line laser beam 8a extending mainly vertically downward is emitted from the laser beam emitter 2a onto an imaginary plane 16 (target) arranged on the front side of the needle cap 54 of the handpiece 50, and a line laser beam 8b extending mainly toward the left side of the paper is emitted from the laser beam emitter 2b, and the spray center position Q of the paint spray area R is indicated as the intersection point of these line laser beams.

The painting aid 1A of variant 1 requires fewer parts than the previous painting aid 1, making it possible to provide a lightweight, inexpensive painting aid.

<Modification 2>
A coating auxiliary tool according to a second modified example, which is suitable for using the handpiece 50 with the left hand, will be described with reference to Figs. 7, 10 and 12.
The painting assistant tool 1B according to the second modification has a configuration in which the holding structure 6b and the laser beam emitter 2b in the painting assistant tool 1 shown in FIG. 1 are omitted.

When painting auxiliary tool 1B of variant example 2 is attached to handpiece body 51 of handpiece 50 and viewed from the nozzle 54a side with the axis of handpiece body 51 horizontal, as shown in Figure 7, cup 58 for containing paint is positioned vertically above nozzle 54a, laser beam emitter 2a is positioned directly below cup 58 with nozzle 54a in between, and laser beam emitter 2c is positioned to the left of cup 58 and nozzle 54a.
12A and 12B show only the holder 3 in the painting assistant tool 1B according to the modified example 2. Also, the adhesive sheet 7 is omitted in Figs. 12A and 12B.

When the line laser beam 8a and the line laser beam 8c are emitted using the painting auxiliary tool 1B according to the modified example 2, the projection state becomes the same as that shown in FIG.
In other words, as shown in Figure 10, a line laser light 8a extending mainly vertically downward is emitted from the laser light emitter 2a onto an imaginary plane 16 (target) arranged on the front side of the needle cap 54 of the handpiece 50, and a line laser light 8b extending mainly toward the right side of the paper is emitted from the laser light emitter 2c, and the spray center position Q of the paint spray area R is indicated as the intersection of these line laser lights.

The painting aid 1B according to the second modification can reduce the number of parts required compared to the previous painting aid 1, making it possible to provide a lightweight and inexpensive painting aid.

[2-1: Regarding another embodiment]
A painting assistant tool according to another embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as "another embodiment") will be described with reference to Figs. 13 to 24.
In this other embodiment, the configurations common to the painting auxiliary tools 1, 1A, and 1B according to the above-described present embodiment are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted, and the different configurations are described below.

As shown in Figs. 13 and 14, the painting aid 20A according to another embodiment includes laser light emitters 2a and 2c, wiring for supplying power to these emitters, a holder 21A incorporating a power source, and a holder fixing device 25 that is attached to the side of the handpiece body 51 and removably fixes the holder 21A to the side of the handpiece 50.

As shown in FIG. 15, the holder fixture 25 includes fixture bodies 25a and 25b, which are a pair of vertically split cylinders capable of clamping the sides of the handpiece body 51 with their inner surfaces 25c, a screw 29 that temporarily fixes them onto the handpiece body 51, and a fixing ring 31 that fixes the pair of temporarily fixed fixture bodies 25a and 25b to the handpiece body 51.

The fixing tool bodies 25a, 25b may each be a molded body made of metal or resin.
Fixing device bodies 25a, 25b each have a notch 26a, 26b formed in its vertically upper side edge, and when fixing device bodies 25a, 25b are attached to the side of handpiece body 51, the base of cup 58 protruding from the vertically upper side surface of handpiece body 51 is accommodated inside window portion 26, which is a through hole formed by connecting notches 26a, 26b.
In other words, the notches 26 a , 26 b are formed for the purpose of preventing interference between the fixture bodies 25 a , 25 b and the cup 58 when the fixture bodies 25 a , 25 b are attached to the side surface of the handpiece body 51 .

The fixing device bodies 25a, 25b each have flat flanges 27a, 27b that protrude from their vertically upper side edges and at positions adjacent to the notches 26a, 26b, and are configured so that screws 29 can be screwed into the screw holes 28a, 28b that are formed through the overlapping portions.

Fixing tool bodies 25a, 25b each have male threads 30a, 30b on the peripheral surface of the end (tip side) on the side where injection port 54a is disposed when fixed to handpiece body 51.
The fixing ring 31 has a ring body 31a, which is a short cylindrical molded body made of metal or resin, and has female threads 31b on the inner surface thereof that screw into male threads 30a, 30b formed on the fixing tool bodies 25a, 25b.
As shown in FIG. 14, when fixing tool bodies 25a, 25b are integrated with screws 29, the outer diameter of the cylindrical body formed by these and the outer diameter of fixing ring 31 are both L and coincident with each other.

In addition, the outer surface 25d of the holder fixture 25 is provided with a ridge-like dovetail 32b extending in a direction parallel to the center line direction of the hollow portion of the holder fixture 25. This dovetail 32b is used as a male structure of a fitting structure 32 that is used when mounting the holder 21A (described later) on the outer surface 25d of the holder fixture 25.
More specifically, the fixture bodies 25a and 25b constituting the holder fixture 25 each have one dovetail 32b on its outer surface 25d and 25b.

As shown in Figure 14, for example, the holder 21A includes a holder main body 21a which is a semi-split cylindrical body having an inner space 21b having a shape roughly corresponding to the shape of the outer surface 25d of the holder fixing device 25, and two hollow container-like holding portions 21e which protrude toward the outer surface 21c of the holder main body 21a and are formed integrally with the holder main body 21a, and into which the laser light emitters 2a, 2c are individually fitted and fixed.
Between the two holding portions 21e, there is integrally formed a hollow container-like battery storage portion 21f capable of storing a battery 33 (see Figure 19 below), which is a power source that supplies power to the laser light emitters 2a, 2c, and an opening (not shown) for inserting and removing the battery 33 and a lid 22 for covering this opening are provided on the surface on which the injection nozzle 54a is located when the holder main body 21a is attached to the handpiece main body 51.

On the outer surface 21c side of the holder main body 21a, in the area opposite the side from which the line laser beams 8a, 8c are emitted in each holding portion 21e, wiring and the like that connects the laser beam emitters 2a, 2c to batteries, etc., are stored, although not shown.
In the holder main body 21a, the outer surface 21c on the opposite side of the inner space 21b of the holding portion 21e that stores the laser light emitter 2c is provided with a switch 23 for switching the on/off operation of the laser light emitters 2a, 2c, and is also provided with a display portion 24 consisting of, for example, an LED light, which indicates whether the laser light emitters 2a, 2c are operating or not, if necessary.

The inner surface 21d of the inner space 21b of the holder body 21a is formed with a groove-like dovetail 32a that engages with the dovetail 32b protruding from the outer surface 25d of the holder fixture 25 and constitutes the fitting structure 32. The dovetail 32a is used as the female structure of the fitting structure 32.
On the inner surface 21d of the inner space 21b, the dovetail groove 32a is formed at a position which coincides with the position where the dovetail groove 32b is formed when the holder fixing device 25 is housed in the inner space 21b of the holder body 21a.
That is, the dovetail groove 32 a is formed in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the handpiece body 51 in a state in which the holder 21 A is attached to the side surface of the handpiece body 51 .

[2-2: Installation procedure of another embodiment]
A procedure for attaching a holder 21A according to another embodiment to a handpiece 50 will be described with reference to FIGS.
When attaching the holder 21A according to another embodiment to the handpiece 50, the holder fixture 25 is attached to the side surface of the handpiece body 51, and then the holder 21A is attached onto the outer surface 25d thereof.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 16, first, the handpiece body 51 is clamped between the inner surfaces 25c of the fixing tool bodies 25a and 25b (see the direction indicated by the symbol S in FIG. 16).
As a result, the flanges 27a, 27b protruding from the fixing device bodies 25a, 25b respectively overlap, and the screw holes 28a, 28b form a continuous hole. A screw 29 is screwed into this continuous hole to integrate the fixing device bodies 25a, 25b.
As a result, the fixing tool bodies 25 a and 25 b are provisionally fixed onto the side surfaces of the handpiece body 51 .

Next, as shown in FIG. 17, the tip sides of the fixing device bodies 25a, 25b temporarily fixed to the handpiece body 51, i.e., the sides of the fixing device bodies 25a, 25b having the male threads 30a, 30b, are inserted into the hollow portion of the fixing ring 31 (see the direction indicated by the symbol T in FIG. 17), and the female threads 31b of the fixing ring 31 are screwed into the male threads 30a, 30b, thereby fixing the tip sides of the fixing device bodies 25a, 25b with the fixing ring 31.
As a result, the rear ends of the fixture bodies 25a, 25b are fixed by the flanges 27a, 27b and the screws 29, and the tip ends are fixed by the male screws 30a, 30b and the fixing ring 31, forming a cylindrical holder fixture 25 having a window 26. In other words, the holder fixture 25 is fixed to the side surface of the handpiece body 51.
At this time, the holder fixture 25 attached to the handpiece body 51 has a shape as shown on the right side of the page in FIG.
When the holder fixture 25 is attached to the handpiece body 51, the cup 58 protrudes from the window portion 26 as shown in FIG.

Thereafter, the dovetail groove 32b formed on the holder fixing device 25 is fitted into the dovetail groove 32a formed in the inner space 21b of the holder 21A, and the holder fixing device 25 holding the handpiece body 51 is slid in the axial direction of the handpiece body 51 within the inner space 21b of the holder 21A (see the direction indicated by the symbol U in Figures 14 and 17), thereby attaching the holder 21A to the outer surface 25d of the holder fixing device 25.
13 and 18 show the state in which the coating auxiliary tool 20A is attached to the side surface of the handpiece body 51 of the handpiece 50 according to the above-mentioned procedure.

As shown in Figures 19 and 20, when the painting aid 20A is attached to the handpiece 50, a fitting structure 32 consisting of a dovetail groove 32a (female structure) and a dovetail 32b (male structure) is provided at the portion where the outer surface 25d of the holder fixture 25 overlaps with the outer surface 21c of the holder body 21a.

[2-3: Effects of other embodiments]
According to another embodiment of the painting auxiliary tool 20A, the holder fixing tool 25 is attached to the handpiece body 51 using two fixing structures: a first fixing structure consisting of a combination of flanges 27a, 27b and screws 29 provided on the fixing tool main bodies 25a, 25b, and a second fixing structure consisting of a combination of male screws 30a, 30b and a fixing ring 31 also formed on the fixing tool main bodies 25a, 25b. By attaching the holder 21A to the holder fixing tool 25 using an engaging structure 32, the holder 21A can be indirectly fixed to the handpiece 50.
This makes it possible to prevent the holder 21A from being unintentionally detached due to an impact when the holder 21A comes into contact with a surrounding object or the like during use of the handpiece 50.

According to another embodiment of the painting auxiliary tool 20A, by attaching the holder fixing tool 25 to the handpiece body 51 while accommodating the cup 58 within the window portion 26 formed in the holder fixing tool 25, the mounting position of the holder fixing tool 25 on the side of the handpiece 50 can be made constant.
Furthermore, by mounting the holder 21A to the holder fixture 25 using the fitting structure 32, the mounting positions of the laser beam emitters 2a, 2c on the outer surface 25d of the holder fixture 25 become constant.
In other words, by using the coating auxiliary tool 20A according to the other embodiment, the laser beam emitters 2 a and 2 c can be accurately disposed at predetermined positions on the side surface of the handpiece 50 .

In other words, according to the painting auxiliary tool 20A of another embodiment, it is possible to improve the positional accuracy of the paint spray center position Q, which is indicated as the intersection of the line laser beams 8a, 8c emitted from the laser beam emitters 2a, 2c.
As a result, precision painting work can be easily performed using the handpiece 50 equipped with the painting auxiliary tool 20A according to the alternative embodiment.
Therefore, according to the painting assistant tool 20A, it is possible to provide a painting assistant tool with higher performance than the painting assistant tool 1 according to the above-described embodiment.

In a painting auxiliary tool 20A according to another embodiment, the laser beam emitters 2a, 2c can be integrally provided in the holder body 21a, and a battery (power source) for supplying power thereto and wiring can also be integrally provided.
Therefore, when using the painting auxiliary tool 20A, there is no need to connect wiring or the like to the painting auxiliary tool 20A.
Therefore, according to the painting auxiliary tool 20A, when using the handpiece 50 equipped with the painting auxiliary tool 20A, it is possible to prevent the wiring extending from the holder 21A from interfering with the painting work.
As a result, the painting auxiliary tool 20A can provide a highly convenient painting auxiliary tool.

As shown in FIG. 21 , in a painting auxiliary tool 20A according to another embodiment, a cup 58 for containing paint is arranged vertically above the nozzle 54a, a laser beam emitter 2a is arranged directly below the cup 58 with the nozzle 54a in between, and a laser beam emitter 2c is arranged to the left of the cup 58 and the nozzle 54a.
Therefore, the painting assistant tool 20A is particularly suitable for use when the handpiece 50 is used with the left hand, similar to the painting assistant tool 1B shown in FIG.

[2-4: Modifications of other embodiments]
A painting assistant tool according to a modified example of another embodiment will be described with reference to Figs.
As shown in Figures 22 to 24, the painting auxiliary tool 20B of the modified example has a laser light emitter 2b at the position where the switch 23 and display unit 24 are provided in the previous holder 21A, has a switch 23 and a display unit 24 at the position where the laser light emitter 2c is provided (not shown in Figure 22), and further has a battery storage section 21f between the holding section 21e of the laser light emitter 2a and the holding section 21e of the laser light emitter 2b and a lid 22 that covers its opening.
The holder 21B having the above-mentioned configuration can be attached to the holder fixing device 25 constituting the painting auxiliary tool 20A when in use.
The method of attaching the painting auxiliary tool 20B to the handpiece 50 is the same as the method of attaching the painting auxiliary tool 20A.

The painting assistant tool 20B according to the modified example has the same functions and effects as the painting assistant tool 20A according to the other embodiment.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 24, in the modified painting auxiliary tool 20B, a cup 58 for containing paint is arranged vertically above the nozzle 54a, a laser beam emitter 2a is arranged directly below the cup 58 across the nozzle 54a, and a laser beam emitter 2b is arranged to the right of the cup 58 and the nozzle 54a.
Therefore, the painting assistant tool 20B is suitable for using the handpiece 50 with the right hand, similar to the painting assistant tool 1A shown in FIG.

[3; Other]
In another embodiment shown in Figures 13 to 24, an example is described in which holder fixing device 25 is fixed to handpiece body 51 using a first fixing structure consisting of a combination of flanges 27a, 27b and screws 29, and a second fixing structure consisting of a combination of male screws 30a, 30b and a fixing ring 31. However, even if holder fixing device 25 has only the first fixing structure, or if holder fixing device 25 has neither the first fixing structure nor the second fixing structure, it is possible to fit the combination of fixing device main bodies 25a, 25b into holder 21A or holder 21B.
In this case, when fitting the combination of fixing device main bodies 25a, 25b into holder 21A or holder 21B, the worker needs to hold down the fixing device main bodies 25a, 25b with his/her fingers so that the fixing device main bodies 25a, 25b become cylindrical, but even in this case, the intended function can be performed without hindrance.

In another embodiment shown in Figures 13 to 24, an example is given of attaching holder 21A or holder 21B to handpiece 50 using holder fixing device 25, but if a dovetail 32b is protruded from the side of handpiece body 51, holder 21A or holder 21B can be attached to the side of handpiece body 51 without using holder fixing device 25.
In this case, the shape of the inner space 21b of the holder 21A or 21B must match the outer shape of the handpiece body 51 having the dovetail 32b.
In this case, since there is no need to use the holder fixing device 25, the structure of the painting auxiliary device according to the other embodiment can be further simplified.

As described above, the present invention is a painting aid that is attached to a painting handpiece and projects and indicates the spray center position of the paint spray area, and can be used in technical fields related to painting technology.

1, 1A, 1B...painting auxiliary tool 2a to 2c...laser light emitter 3...holder 3a...inner surface 3b...outer surface 3c...holder body 4...socket 5...fixing screw 6a to 6c...holding structure 7...adhesive sheet (fixing structure) 8a to 8c...line laser light 9...screw hole 10...lenticular lens 10a...projection 10b...streak 11...housing 11a...emitting port 12...laser light generating mechanism 13...laser light 14...concave lens 15...dot laser light 16...virtual plane 20A, 20B...painting auxiliary tool 21A, 21B...holder 21a...holder body 21b...inner space 21c...outer surface 21d...inner surface 21e...holding section 21f...battery storage section 22...lid 23...switch 24...display section 25...Holder fixture 25a, 25b...Fixer body 25c...Inner surface 25d...Outer surface 26...Window 26a, 26b...Notch 27a, 27b...Flange 28a, 28b...Threaded hole 29...Screw 30a, 30b...Male thread 31...Fixing ring 31a...Ring body 31b...Female thread 32...Fitting structure 32a...Dovetail groove 32b...Dovetail 33...Battery 50...Handpiece 51...Handpiece body 52...Head 53...Paint nozzle 54...Needle cap 54a...Injection port 55...Air supply part 56...Air hose joint 57...Push button 58...Cup 59...Lid 60...Axis cap 61...Needle stopper P...Paint injection direction Q...Injection center position

Claims (4)

An auxiliary tool that is attached to a painting handpiece and projects and indicates the paint spray center position,
a laser beam emitter having a laser beam generating mechanism for generating a dot laser beam and a lenticular lens disposed on the emission side of the dot laser beam, and emitting a line laser beam to the paint discharge side;
a holder disposed on a side surface of a handpiece body for holding the laser beam emitter at a predetermined position;
a fixing structure for fixing the holder to the handpiece body,
a first line laser beam emitted from a first laser beam emitter, which is the laser beam emitter, is emitted in a discharge direction of the paint and passes through an axial center line of the handpiece body;
a second line laser beam emitted from a second laser beam emitter, which is the laser beam emitter, is emitted in the discharge direction of the paint, passes through an axial center line of the handpiece body, and intersects with the first line laser beam,
A painting auxiliary tool characterized in that the direction in which the stripes of the lenticular lens constituting the first laser light emitter extend intersects with the direction in which the stripes of the lenticular lens constituting the second laser light emitter extend . The fixing structure includes:
a fixing member provided on an overlapping portion between the side surface of the handpiece body and the holder, or on an overlapping portion between an outer surface of a fixing member provided on the side surface of the handpiece body and the holder,
2. The coating auxiliary tool according to claim 1, further comprising a fitting structure in which male and female structures are engaged with each other by sliding the holder in the axial direction of the handpiece body. The handpiece body is provided integrally with a cup on the side surface for containing the paint,
When the axis of the handpiece body is set horizontally and the handpiece equipped with the auxiliary tool is viewed from the paint nozzle side,
The cup is disposed vertically above the injection port,
the first laser beam emitter is disposed immediately below the cup across the injection port,
3. The coating auxiliary tool according to claim 1 , wherein the second laser beam emitter is disposed to the right of the cup and the injection port. The handpiece body is provided integrally with a cup on the side surface for containing the paint,
When the axis of the handpiece body is set horizontally and the handpiece equipped with the auxiliary tool is viewed from the paint nozzle side,
The cup is disposed vertically above the injection port,
the first laser beam emitter is disposed immediately below the cup across the injection port,
3. The coating auxiliary tool according to claim 1 , wherein the second laser beam emitter is disposed to the left of the cup and the injection port.