JPH0260800A - Automatic toning device and toning method for liquid colorant - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automate a series of processes to improve a productivity by a method wherein predetermined loadings of liquid colorants are measured and injected into a container, the liquid colorants are stirred by a shirring rod, the container is shaken to mix the liquid colorants inside, a colorimetric rod is inserted into the container and lifted, and the liquid colorant is colorimertically checked and sorted. CONSTITUTION:Based on the result of spectral reflectances of standard color samples, a first loading calculation is operated by a Computer Color Matching(CCM) method. After loadings are determined, on the instruction of a computer a container feeder sends a container to a measuring and injecting device 20, and therein liquid colorants are measured and injected. The liquid colorants are stirred by a rotating stirring device 22 while controlling a liquid amount, a liquid viscosity, and the like in the container. After the completion of stirring, the container is fed to a shaking mixer 24, and therein the colorants are mixed. After the completion of mixing, the container is fed to an automatic the measuring device 26, and therein according to a liquid amount in the container a colorimetric rod is controlled so as to be dipped in the liquid approximately constant for every container. The spectral reflectance of a liquid film formed by the colorimetric rod and a scraper is measured by a sensor of a spectrophotometer. Then, accepted products are delivered as finished products; defective products are again sent back to the automatic measuring and injecting device by a CCM method.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to various paints for automobiles, automobile repairs, and others, as well as toning materials, varnishes, and solvents used to produce these various paints. Various liquid materials, such as! O14,
The primary colors of ink, adhesives, and various other aqueous solutions are weighed manually to match the predetermined color samples, poured into containers such as 18F cans and 20L drums, and then stirred, mixed, and The present invention relates to a color mixing device and a color mixing method for automatically producing a liquid colorant that passes color matching through each color measurement process.

(Prior art) As a method of color matching paint to a given color sample,
Today, CCM (Compute
er Co1or Matching) method is becoming mainstream, and JP-A-53-100852 ``Method for adjusting color of paint'', JP-A 58-204066 [Paint Preparation Method and Apparatus J, JP-A 62-22870'' Various methods have been proposed in the field of ``Method for toning coloring materials and toning auxiliary device''. However, in the conventional method (a), it is necessary to measure the color of the painted board in a dry state, so even if the formulation is determined using a computer, it takes a long time to prepare a sample of the painted board. However, the drawback was that it did not increase efficiency very much. For this reason, even if the CCM method is used, it has been considered difficult to automate the entire series of processes such as formulation determination, measurement, injection, stirring, mixing, and color measurement.

JP-A No. 53-1184.29 [Method for manufacturing paint toning]
describes a color mixing method in which a coloring agent is added to a base paint in a container and conveyed while applying Ia mechanical vibration or rotation, but there is no description of how to calculate the formulation or how to measure color. Moreover, since a positive displacement pump is used, it is not possible to measure a small amount of liquid, and the range in which the color can be adjusted is limited.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) Is the purpose of the invention to create a coated plate? j! To provide a device and method for quickly and automatically adjusting the color of a liquid coloring agent by omitting complicated steps.

Another object of the invention is the provision, metering, agitation, mixing,
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a device and method for automating a series of processes such as color measurement and creating a line.

Therefore, the automatic color mixing device and automatic color mixing method in the present invention include the above-mentioned liquid supply, measurement, stirring, mixing, color measurement,
It refers to means for achieving a series of steps such as transportation, and methods that include those steps.

(Means for Solving the Problems and Their Effects) The above-mentioned object of the present invention is, in its first aspect, to continuously produce a liquid colorant that matches a color sample by mixing a plurality of primary colors. An automatic color mixing device comprising: an entrance-side conveyor for carrying in empty containers; a weighing stand placed adjacent to the entrance-side conveyor for receiving empty containers; and a weighing standby for receiving empty containers from the pedestal. A metering and injection mechanism for metering and injecting a liquid colorant into a container in a predetermined amount, and a stirring rod that receives a container filled with the liquid colorant from the metering and injection mechanism and stirs the liquid colorant by inserting a stirring rod into the container. a stirring mechanism disposed adjacent to the stirring mechanism that shakes the container to mix the liquid coloring agent inside; and a colorimeter rod that receives the container after the mixing and stirring and is placed inside the container. A 4111 color mechanism that performs color measurement by inserting the color measuring rod and pulling up this color measuring rod,
Sorting of transferring the containers to either the exit side or the pedestal after the completion of the color measurement is achieved by an automatic liquid color mixing device comprising a mechanism and an exit side conveyor for carrying out the containers. .

Based on this configuration, according to the automatic color mixing device of the present invention,
Color measurement is performed by inserting a color measuring rod into the container and pulling it up, eliminating the need for the traditional manual process of creating a painted plate, enabling quick color matching operations, and eliminating the need for all processes. This can be done automatically using cylinders and motors, completing an automated line.

In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for mixing a plurality of primary colors to create a liquid colorant that matches a color sample, comprising:
The first step is to measure the reflectance of a given color sample and calculate the initial weighing mixture using the CCM method, and then to measure a plurality of primary colorants in the calculated combination amount and then empty the container through a valve means provided for each primary color. a step of stirring and mixing the liquid colorant in the container, a step of inserting a colorimetric rod into the container and pulling it up to measure the color, and calculating a corrected weighing mixture based on the colorimetric results. To provide a method for toning a liquid coloring agent, which includes a correction toning step of measuring, pouring, stirring, mixing, and measuring the primary coloring agent.

Based on such a method, according to the automatic color mixing method of the present invention,
The mixture is calculated by the CCM method, the minute amount is injected through the valve means, and the color is quickly measured using the liquid film that adheres to the colorimetric rod to determine pass/fail. In this case, the entire process will be automated through a series of operations such as repeating corrective measurement and blending.

Liquid coloring agents are viscous liquids such as paints, dyes,
Primary colors refer to materials that color and protect objects, such as inks, adhesives, and paints.Primary colors are the constituent components that make up the color of liquid colorants, and include not only those that contain pigments, but also those that do not contain pigments, containers, etc. It also includes.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the embodiments of the accompanying drawings.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows an automatic color mixing device 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
In this example, 187! is used as a container for storing liquid. Although the columnarization of containers has been taken as an example, the present invention can be similarly applied to drums containing 2,001 containers.

In FIG. 1, the automatic color mixing device 10 includes an entrance conveyor 16 for carrying in empty containers 12, a weighing standby pedestal 18 placed adjacent to this conveyor for receiving empty containers, and an empty container 12 from this pedestal. Container 1 receives the liquid coloring agent.
2, a mixing waiting conveyor 21 that receives the container 12 filled with liquid colorant from the metering and injection mechanism and transfers it to the next stirring and mixing operation;
A stirring mechanism 22 that inserts a stirring rod into the container 12 sent from the conveyor 21 to stir the liquid coloring agent inside, and a stirring mechanism 22 that is placed close to this stirring mechanism and swings the container 12 to stir the liquid coloring agent inside. A mixing mechanism 24 that mixes, a colorimetric transfer conveyor 25 that receives the container after stirring and mixing and transfers it to the next colorimetric operation, and a colorimetric rod that is inserted into the container 12 sent from the conveyor 25. A color measurement mechanism 26 that performs color measurement by pulling up a color measurement rod, a transport section 27 that carries and transports the container 12 after color measurement, and a transport section 27 that carries only rejected products back to the pedestal 18 based on the color measurement results. A sorting mechanism 28 is used to pass the accepted products to the exit side, a return conveyor 29 is used to carry the passing products from the mechanism 28 to the pedestal 18, and a first product sorting mechanism 30 is used to send the first product of color toning to the inspection section. ,
From this sorting mechanism 30, it passes through the inspection section and returns to the condenser 72.
9, and an exit conveyor 32 that carries out containers that have passed color matching.

The container 12 is fed in the direction of the arrow, and at the connection position of the aforementioned components, the cylinders 34 to 46 etc. operate in cooperation with a number of stoppers 48.4'9 to transfer the container. ing. Its operation is as follows.

First, a large number of containers 1 placed on the entrance side conveyor 16
2 is sent to the drive roller of the conveyor, moves forward, hits a stopper 48, and stops. Here, the cylinder 34 operates to push out only the container at the front end, thereby causing the container 1
2 are sent one by one to the position of the conveyor end 16H.

When the cylinder 35 operates, the container 12 located at the end 16E is pushed onto the weighing standby pedestal 18 and held at that position by the stopper 49. When the completion of the 31 volume dosing operation for the previous container is detected, the cylinder 36 is actuated to feed the container 12 into the dosing machine side 20.

The container 12 in which the metered injection of the liquid colorant has been completed is sent to the waiting position 21A of the mixing conveyor 21, and when it is detected that the stirring operation of the previous container has been completed, the cylinder 37 is activated and the container 12 is moved to the side. When the cylinder 38 is actuated, it is sent forward and sent into the stirring mechanism 22 by a transport device (not shown).

When the stirring operation is completed, the container 12 is pulled out from the stirring mechanism 22 by a transport device (not shown), and when it is detected that the mixing operation of the previous container has been completed, the cylinder 39 is actuated to move the container 12 into the mixing mechanism 24. sent to. The mixing operation here has the function of replenishing the liquid that is splashed on the inner wall of the container during stirring and the parts that are difficult to mix by stirring alone, such as the four corners of the inner wall.

When the mixing operation is completed and it is detected that the colorimetric operation of the previous container is completed, the cylinder 39 is activated and the container 12 is sent onto the colorimetric transfer conveyor 25 and automatically transferred into the colorimetric mechanism 26. sent to.

When the color measurement operation is completed, the cylinder 40 is activated and the container 1 is
2 is delivered to the conveyance section 27 on the exit side conveyor 32. When the container 12 reaches the position of the sorting mechanism 28, it has already been determined whether it is an acceptable item or a rejected item, and if the item is an acceptable item, the stopper 49 is in the retracted position and the container can be exited without interfering with the container's progress. pass to the side. In the case of a rejected product, the stopper 49 is in the raised position, and the container 12 hits the stopper 49 and stops. At this point, the cylinder 41 of the mechanism 28 is operated to push out the rejected containers onto the return conveyor 29.

The container 12 sent on the return conveyor 29 hits a stopper 49 and stops before the pedestal 18, and when it is the turn to measure and inject the corrected mixture, the cylinder 46 is operated and the container 12 is moved to the pedestal 18.
being pushed upwards.

The container 12 that passes the color measurement and is sent on the conveyor 32 or the container 12 of the first product for color matching hits the stopper 48 in front of the first product side mechanism 30 and stops, and the cylinder 42 operates to remove only one container. By pushing them out, they are sent one by one to the first-time item dispensing mechanism 30.

At this point, the sorting mechanism 30 operates, and if it is the first product to be colored, it operates the cylinder 43 and transfers the container 12 to the inspection side conveyor 3.
If it is not the first product, the stopper 49 is released and the product is moved forward on the conveyor 32.

The container 12 sent onto the inspection-side conveyor 31 is sent forward by a drive roller and stops when it hits a stopper 48 . Here, by operating the cylinder 44, the containers are sent out one by one, and the containers that have reached the inspection section 50 are stopped by a stopper 49 and are subjected to a predetermined inspection process (for example, forming a dry coating film on a coating plate to determine the spectral reflectance). ) is carried out.

The containers 12 that have passed through the sorting mechanism 30 and are sent on the exit side conveyor 32 are sent to a finished product storage area as acceptable products.

2 and 3 show an example of the metering injection mechanism 20. FIG. 50 needle valves 52 arranged on the circumference
The liquid from the primary color container is supplied to each of the areas, and the valve transfer mechanism 53 arranged on the rotary table 51 in the center grips one of the needle valves 52 on the circumference and draws it to the center, and the valve opening/closing mechanism 54 moves the needle valve 52 to the center. The operation member 55 at the upper end of the valve is moved to open and close the valve, causing the primary color liquid to fall and be injected into the container 12 located below.

The injected amount is measured on an electronic balance 56 on which the container 12 is placed.
The valve opening/closing mechanism 54 is controlled so that the amount is immediately measured and the correct amount is injected.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the R horizontal 22 for stirring liquid colorant. The container I2 is attracted and conveyed by the suction pad 60 and sent to the pedestal 62 in the fixed frame 61 where it is held, and from above the stirring rod 63 descends over a stroke S and enters the liquid inlet 14 on the upper surface of the container. After entering and tilting the container 12 by operating the tilting cylinder 65, the stirring rod 63 rotates, and the blades 64 at its lower end expand to stir the inside of the container, thereby efficiently stirring the liquid. ing. The stirring mechanism 22 is further equipped with a scraper 66 for scraping off the liquid adhering to the rod G3 and a cleaning tank 67 as attached VT devices.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the liquid colorant mixing mechanism 24. As shown in FIG. The container 12 that has been transferred on the conveyor 21 (FIG. 1) is pushed onto the pedestal 70 by the cylinder 39 (FIG. 1) and is fixed therein. At this point, a cylinder (not shown) is operated to attach a rubber seal cap to the liquid inlet 14 on the top surface of the container.

The frame 70 is capable of swinging around a swing shaft 7I arranged below, and a binion 72 fixed to the end of the swing shaft 71 engages with a rack 74 driven by a cylinder 73. The liquid colorant inside is rotated through an angle of 90 degrees or more, and the liquid colorant inside is mixed efficiently.

After the mixing has been completed, the container 12 has its seal cap removed and is sent onto the colorimetric transfer conveyor 25 by the cylinder 39.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the color measuring mechanism 26 for liquid colorant. The container sent from the colorimetric transfer conveyor 25 is drawn into the colorimetric position 12Q in the pedestal 81 by the operation of a transport device (not shown). Here, the colorimetric rod 82 descends from above and enters the liquid inlet 14 on the top surface of the container, and then the scrapers 83, 87 come into contact with both the front and back surfaces of the rod 82. Here, the rod 82 is stroked S1
When the rod 82 is raised by a certain amount, the scraper 83 scrapes off the liquid adhering to the surface of the rod 82 to form a liquid film. At the same time, a scraper 87 scrapes and removes the liquid adhering to the back surface of the rod 82. scraper 83 to rod 82
After separating from the liquid film, the rod 82 is further raised by a stroke S2, and the sensor portion 85 of the spectrophotometer 84 is brought closer to the liquid film to perform color measurement. Note that before measuring the color of the liquid film, the color of the calibration plate 86 is measured so that correct color values can be measured.

When the color measurement is completed, the cylinder 80 is activated and the container is sent to the discharge position 12R. This colorimetric mechanism is further equipped with a cleaning tank 88 for cleaning the rod 82 and scrapers 83, 87 as an accessory device.

FIG. 7 shows a system diagram when the apparatus of the present invention is controlled by a computer, and an input device 91, an output device 92, and an input/output interface 93 are connected to a control computer 90. The interface 93 includes a liquid storage device (not shown) storing a number of primary color liquids.
94, a liquid delivery device (not shown) 95 that sends the primary color liquid from this liquid storage device using a pump or air pressure, the above-mentioned automatic metering and injection device 20, rotary stirring device 22, shaking type mixing device 24, automatic hue measurement A device 26, a container conveying device 9 consisting of a large number of drive conveyors, cylinders, vacuum suction devices, etc.
6 is connected and receives a signal from a computer 90 to operate with air or electricity. Signals from various sensors (not shown) are manually input to the control interface 93 via the interface.

Control by a computer is generally executed through the following process.

First, use a 181 oil can as a container, and as a general rule, measure and adjust the color in units of 18f oil cans for one target color sample.If necessary, adjust the color multiple times.For example, add +R liquid colorant to 64. If you need it, put it in a can of 18β oil (ik
Since you will need 4 cans for g, adjust the color of 4 cans.

Registered in the computer 90 are a combination calculation program for color samples and a color correction combination calculation program, a program for storing, indexing, and utilizing various information on several peritectics, and various control programs.

First, information such as product name, hue, order quantity, and hue accuracy is transmitted from the input device, and initial mixture calculation (CCM method) and several color information searches are performed to obtain the same hue as the color sample. etc. will be carried out.

In the case of a first-time color-mixed product that is first mixed using the automatic color-mixing device of the present invention, there is no data on the liquid film color sample, so the spectral reflectance of the color sample is first measured and based on the result, the CCM method is applied. After calculating the initial formulation calculation using the automatic metering and injection device 20, stirring and mixing operations, a liquid film is created using the colorimeter 26 and color measurement is performed. Since there is no data for determining pass/fail, the first product sorting mechanism 30 sends the product to the inspection section 50, creates a dry coating film using a coating plate, and performs calculations such as hue determination or correction (CCM method). On the other hand, in the case of several peritectics, search the multi-bird color information record recorded on the computer and check the actual combination, passing color difference,
Calculate the weighing composition by obtaining the correction progress, liquid film spectral reflectance, etc.

The liquid colorant is supplied from the liquid storage device 94 of each primary color to the automatic dosing device 20 by the liquid delivery device 95, and the liquid colorant is supplied to the automatic metering device 20 from the liquid storage device 94 of each primary color. The amount of colorant that can be supplied in the device 94 is managed by the computer 90 based on its storage amount and consumption amount.

Once the formulation to be measured is determined, the container transport device 96 carries the container into the metering and injection device 20 according to instructions from the computer. Here, a measured amount is injected into the transported container according to instructions from the computer, and the measured amount and injection result is recorded in the computer.

After the metered injection is completed, the container is transferred to the rotary stirring device 22 by the container transport device, and the amount of liquid in the container, the viscosity of the liquid,
Stirring is performed while controlling the mixing time, mixing speed, position of stirring blades, etc. using a computer.

The container containing the stirring force l is transferred to the shaking type mixing device 24 by a conveying device with a capacity R8, and mixing is performed while being controlled by a computer in the same manner as the stirring operation.

The container after mixing is transferred to the automatic hue measuring device t26. The immersion depth of the colorimetric rod into the liquid is controlled to be approximately constant for each container based on the amount of liquid in the container. The spectral reflectance of the saliva film created by the colorimetric rod and scraper is measured by a spectrophotometer sensor. Based on the measurement results, a computer determines whether the hue is acceptable or not. Passing products are transported to the finished product storage area, and corrected formulations are calculated using the CCM method for rejected products. Passing products are transferred to the automatic metering and injection device again. Passing formulation and hue data (e.g. spectral reflectance of dry coating film, spectral reflectance of liquid film, hue passing range)
, quality data (for example, gloss, specific gravity, viscosity), and other necessary data are recorded on a computer so that they can be retrieved later.

If the order is for multiple cans, the remaining multiple cans will be weighed, poured, stirred, mixed, and color measured based on the accepted distribution.

Please note that if you automatically measure and inject 181 cans with a filling size of 16 kg, you will not be able to make subsequent corrections to the formulation.
It is preferable to carry out the initial weighing at 5 to 6 kg.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained in detail above, according to the automatic color mixing device and color mixing method of the present invention, the complicated process of creating a painted plate is omitted, and the color of liquid coloring agent can be quickly and automatically mixed. Can be implemented. In addition, liquid supply, metering, injection, stirring, etc. A series of processes such as color matching and color measurement are now automated and placed on a line, and the technological effects are extremely remarkable, such as a marked improvement in productivity.

4. [Explanation of the drawings for IiJ vehicles] Fig. 1 is a plan view of an automatic color mixing device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a front view showing an automatic metering and injection mechanism, and Fig. 3
The figure is a plan view of the automatic 31-volume injection mechanism, Figure 4 is a side view of the rotary stirring mechanism, Figure 5 is a plane view of the shaking and mixing device, Figure 6 is a front view of the automatic color measurement mechanism, and Figure 7 is a front view of the automatic color measurement mechanism. The figure is a system diagram representing a computer control system.

10... Toning device 12... 14...Liquid inlet 16... 18...Pedestal 20... 22... Stirring mechanism 24... 26... Colorimetric mechanism 28... ·container ·Conveyor ・Measuring mechanism ・Mixing mechanism ・Separation is done by the mechanism 30・ 52・ 63・ 70・ 82・ 90・ ・Separation mechanism ·valve ・Stirring offering ・Frame ・Color measuring rod ·Computer ·Conveyor ·electronic balance ・Vi! , stirring blade ・Swing axis ・Spectrophotometer

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An automatic color mixing device for continuously producing a liquid colorant that matches a color sample by mixing a plurality of primary colors, comprising: an entrance-side conveyor into which empty containers are carried; a weighing standby pedestal disposed adjacent to the entrance side conveyor to receive an empty container; a metering and injection mechanism receiving the empty container from the pedestal and metering and injecting a predetermined amount of liquid colorant into the container; a stirring mechanism that receives a container filled with a liquid colorant from the metering and injection mechanism and stirs the liquid colorant by inserting a stirring rod into the container; and a stirring mechanism that is disposed close to the stirring mechanism and that shakes the container. a mixing mechanism that mixes the liquid colorant inside; a colorimetric mechanism that receives the container in which the mixing and stirring have been completed, inserts a colorimetric rod into the container, pulls up the colorimetric rod, and performs color measurement; An automatic color toning device for liquid colorants, comprising: a sorting mechanism that transfers the containers after color measurement to either the exit side or the pedestal; and an exit side conveyor that carries out the containers. 2. A method of mixing a plurality of primary colors to form a liquid coloring agent that matches a color sample, the step of measuring the reflectance of the given color sample and calculating the initial weighing mixture using the CCM method; A step of measuring a plurality of primary color coloring agents according to the calculated blending amount and injecting them into an empty container through a valve means provided for each primary color, a step of stirring and mixing the liquid coloring agent in the container, and a step of injecting the liquid coloring agent into the container into the empty container. a step of inserting and pulling up a colorimetric rod to perform color measurement; a corrected color mixing step of calculating a corrected measurement mixture based on the color measurement results and measuring, injecting, stirring, mixing, and color measuring the primary coloring agent; A method of toning a liquid coloring agent comprising: