JPH11267560A - Painting robot - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] An object of the present invention is to reduce the number of tubes connected to a color changing valve unit. A manipulator includes a color changing valve unit on a top surface of a second arm and a paint cartridge.
And a paint pump 29 are attached. The paint cartridge 13 is mounted on the upper part of the manifold 30 of the color changing valve unit 11 and is connected to a pipe of the color changing valve unit 11 via a joint. The paint cartridge 13 is filled with paint that is used relatively rarely for one playback. Therefore, when a paint that is used less frequently is designated, the paint changeover valve for the color change valve unit 11 is opened to supply the paint in the paint cartridge 13 to the paint gun 8. Therefore, there is no need to connect a paint tube for supplying paint that is used less frequently to the color changing valve unit 11, and the number of tubes can be reduced by that amount, so that the burden on the arm can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a painting robot configured to selectively supply a paint to a paint supply path formed along a robot arm.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a painting process for painting a work surface by a painting robot, when a work is conveyed by a conveyor, the painting robot performs a predetermined painting operation in accordance with a painting program preliminarily taught. That is, when the work arrives at the work area, the painting robot automatically starts the painting work and ends the predetermined painting work before the work passes through the work area. And
When the predetermined painting operation is completed, the painting robot turns the arm to return to the painting start position.

[0003] In a coating system that automatically performs a coating operation using a coating robot as described above, the color of the paint is specified by the work, and when the coating color of the work is switched, the work is transferred in conjunction with the transfer of the work. The so-called color change is performed. Further, the coating robot is configured to selectively supply one coating to a coating gun mounted on the tip of the arm via a coating supply path formed along the arm. The road is provided with a color change valve unit. Note that the color changing valve unit may be configured to be mounted on an arm of a painting robot, or may be installed at a location other than the arm (for example, a base or a position near the robot).

[0004] In this color changing valve unit, a plurality of valves to which a plurality of paint tubes each having a different color and extending from each paint supply source are connected are connected in parallel to the manifold. The paint tube, air tube, and thinner tube drawn out from the discharge side of the manifold of the color changing valve unit are arranged so as not to hinder the operation of the wrist and connected to the paint gun.

[0005]

In the painting robot in which the color changing valve unit is mounted as described above, a number of paint tubes are mounted on the arm, and much labor is required to mount a large number of tubes. In addition, a large load is applied to the arm. For this reason, when the coating robot performs a predetermined coating operation, there is a problem that the trajectory accuracy of the robot operation is reduced.

[0006] Further, in the painting robot, it is necessary to install a paint supply system (pump, tube, etc.) for all colors used for painting, which has caused an increase in cost. On the other hand, if the color changing valve unit is installed in a place away from the painting robot (for example, near the paint supply source) and is not mounted on the painting robot, the distance from the color changing valve unit to the painting gun becomes longer. ,
It is necessary to discard the paint remaining between the color changing valve unit and the coating gun every time the color is changed, and there is a problem that the amount of waste liquid increases and waste at the time of color changing increases.

When two kinds of paints are mixed,
It took a long time from before mixing to spraying from the coating gun, and when the quality of the paint was changed or the mixing ratio was changed, the mixed paint was wasted. Further, in a painting robot, there is a case where two kinds of paints are mixed at a fixed ratio and supplied to a painting gun for painting. In that case, it is common to mix two types of paint manually. There are also cases where two liquids are mixed at the time of coating. For example, a method has been considered in which the flow rates of the two liquids to be mixed are made constant and the mixing time is changed according to a predetermined mixing ratio.

[0008] However, in the above two-liquid mixing method, two
A considerable amount of time has elapsed from the mixing of the liquid to the actual use of the liquid, during which time the curing of the mixed paint starts, and the desired paint quality cannot be obtained. Since the paint once mixed cannot be stored for a long time,
If the mixing ratio is changed, it is necessary to newly create a mixed paint, and there is a problem that the previously created mixed paint is wasted.

In addition, in the mixing method in which the time for mixing the two liquids is changed depending on the mixing ratio, the two kinds of paints cannot be mixed uniformly, and a concentration deviation occurs between the two liquids. There was a problem that desired paint quality could not be obtained. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a painting robot that solves the above-mentioned problems.

[0010]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following features. Claim 1
In the invention described above, a coating gun is attached to the tip of an arm, a color changing valve unit is provided in a paint supply system formed along the arm, and the color changing valve unit is switched to the coating gun by a switching operation. A coating robot configured to selectively supply the paint according to the above, characterized in that a branch path is provided in the paint supply path, and a coating device that supplies another paint is provided in the branch path. is there.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since a paint device for supplying another paint is provided in the branch passage of the paint supply system, for example, paint having a small number of coatings is branched from the paint supply system. It is possible to reduce the number of paint tubes by supplying the paint from the paint device, thereby reducing the load on the robot arm. The above claim 2
In the invention described above, a coating gun is attached to the tip of an arm, a color changing valve unit is provided in a paint supply system formed along the arm, and the color changing valve unit is switched to the coating gun by a switching operation. A coating robot configured to selectively supply the coating material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a branch passage is provided in the coating supply path, and a coating cartridge that supplies another coating material is connected to the branch passage. Alternatively, a paint switching means for selectively supplying paint from the paint supply system to the paint gun is provided.

Therefore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, a paint cartridge is connected to a branch passage branched from the paint supply system to selectively paint from the paint cartridge or paint from the paint supply system. For example, the number of paint tubes can be reduced by supplying paint with a small number of coatings from a paint cartridge branched from the paint supply path, and the burden on the robot arm can be reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a paint gun is mounted on a tip of an arm, and a color changing valve unit is provided in a paint supply system formed along the arm.
In a painting robot configured to selectively supply one paint to the paint gun by a switching operation of the color changing valve unit, a branch passage is provided in the paint supply system path,
Providing a device for supplying another paint or liquid to the branch passage,
Mixing means for supplying the other paint or liquid from the device in a constant amount while supplying one paint to the paint supply system is provided.

Therefore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, during the supply of one paint to the paint supply line by the mixing means, the other paint or liquid is supplied from the equipment provided in the branch passage at a constant rate. The two liquids can be stably mixed at an arbitrary mixing ratio.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of one embodiment of a painting robot according to the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a painting robot. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a manipulator 1 of a painting robot
Is installed in a painting area where painting is performed, and in the painting area 2, an object to be painted is placed on a conveyor (both not shown).
Is supplied at a constant speed.

The manipulator 1 is a playback-type articulated robot that performs a pre-teaching painting operation when an object to be painted is conveyed. The manipulator 1
Generally, a base 3, a turning base 4 that turns on the base 3 in the θ ₁ direction, and a first base that swings on the turning base 4 in the θ ₂ direction
An arm 5, a second arm 6 to rotate the extended Mashimashi by theta ₃ direction in the horizontal direction from the upper end of the first arm 5 becomes more wrist portion 7 provided on the tip of the second arm 6.

A coating gun 8 is attached to the tip of the wrist 7. The painting gun 8 is moved to a predetermined painting height position by the swing of the first arm 5 and the second arm 6, and the paint spraying direction is changed by the wrist 7. Manipulator 1
Each of the movable parts is driven by a motor (not shown) to adjust the position of the coating gun 8 and the coating direction. Arm 5, second arm 6,
It is controlled to drive the wrist 7. An encoder (not shown) for detecting the angle of each movable part is incorporated in each joint part of the manipulator 1, and a rotation position detection signal of each movable part is transmitted to the robot controller 10.
Will be fed back.

The robot controller 10 is connected to each motor drive unit (not shown) of the manipulator 1 via a cable 10A, is connected to a paint supply device 14 via a cable 10B, and is controlled via a cable 10C. It is connected to the device 15. On the upper surface of the second arm 6,
A color changing valve unit 11, a paint cartridge 13 as a paint device, and a paint pump 29 are attached. The paint cartridge 13 is a tank filled with paint of a color that is relatively infrequently used, and is provided as an auxiliary paint supply source. Therefore, it is not necessary to connect a paint tube for supplying paint that is used less frequently to the color changing valve unit 11. In the present embodiment, the paint cartridge 13 is provided with the color changing valve unit 11.
It is fixed in a state of being placed on the upper part of.

It should be noted that the paint supply system according to the first aspect includes the color changing valve unit 11 and a pipe such as a paint tube connected to the color changing valve unit 11. Accordingly, the paint cartridge 13 may be attached so as to be directly connected to the color changing valve unit 11 or may be provided in the middle of a pipe between the color changing valve unit 11 and the coating gun 8.

Therefore, the color changing valve unit 11 includes
Only the paint of frequently used color is configured to be supplied from the paint supply device 14, and the number of paint tubes connected to the color changing valve unit 11 can be reduced accordingly. Therefore, the number of paint tubes can be reduced to reduce the load on the second arm 6, and the painting operation accuracy can be ensured.

Each color paint is supplied in parallel from the paint supply device 14 to the color changing valve unit 11. Each color paint pump (not shown) built in the paint supply device 14 is provided with a robot controller 10. Is selectively driven by the control command from the controller to feed the paint. The robot controller 10 is managed by a control device 15 as a host computer together with a robot controller for controlling another painting robot.

As shown in FIG. 2, a paint supply tube 19 for supplying paint, cleaning air and thinner, and a gun for controlling the coating gun 8 to be turned on / off by air pressure, as shown in FIG. Control air supply tube 20
And an atomizing air supply tube 21 for supplying air for atomizing the paint is drawn out. Each of the tubes 19 to 21 drawn from the color changing valve unit 11
Is connected to the wrist 7.

The paint supply tube 22, the gun control air supply tube 23, and the atomization air supply tube 24 drawn out from the arm side wrist member 7a are connected to the coating gun side wrist member 7b. A paint supply tube 25, a gun control air supply tube 26, and an atomization air supply tube 27 drawn out from the coating gun side wrist member 7 b are connected to the coating gun 8.

Further, a paint pump 29 composed of a gear pump is provided in the paint supply tube 19 mounted on the upper surface of the second arm 6. This paint pump 29
The paint from the color changing valve unit 11 is pressurized and supplied to the coating gun 8. Here, the configuration of the color changing valve unit 11 will be described. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the color changing valve unit 11 mounted on the arm. FIG. 4 is a side view of the color changing valve unit 11.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the color changing valve unit 11 is provided with a paint switching valve 3 in a manifold 30.
1 to 34, a switching valve 35 for paint for a cartridge, a switching valve 36 for air, and a switching valve 37 for thinner are provided. The paint changeover valves 31 to 34 of the color changing valve unit 11 include:
A plurality of paint supply tubes 12a to 12d for supplying paint of each color from the paint supply device 14, and the paint supply device 1
4 are connected to the paint reflux tubes 12f to 12i for reflux. The air switching valve 36 is connected to the air supply tube 16 that supplies compressed air, and the thinner switching valve 37 is connected to the thinner supply tube 17 that supplies thinner as a cleaning liquid.

Further, the color changing valve unit 11 has signal tubes 18a to 18b for supplying air signals as control signals from the robot controller 10 to the respective switching valves.
18g are connected. The paint cartridge 13 is fixed to the upper part of the color changing valve unit 11 by a holder 41 made of a metal band. The nozzle 13 a of the paint cartridge 13 is formed in an L-shape and is connected to a joint 55 provided at the end of a pipe 43 extending upward from the color changing valve unit 11. The joint 55 functions as a branch passage branched from the paint supply system path. still,
The paint cartridge 13 is filled with paint of a color that is used relatively infrequently, and is replaced after the filled paint is used.

Since the number of the paint tubes connected to the color changing valve unit 11 can be reduced by mounting the paint cartridge 13 in this manner, the number of piping steps in the assembling process can be reduced, and the maintainability during maintenance can be reduced. Is improved. Further, since the number of pumps and tubes of the paint supply device 14 can be reduced, the cost of the system can be reduced and the installation space can be reduced.

Further, the mass of the paint tube mounted on the second arm 6 is reduced, the load on the arm drive unit is reduced, and the response delay of the manipulator 1 is reduced accordingly, and the trajectory accuracy is improved. For this reason, the painting quality of the painted surface painted by the painting operation of the manipulator 1 is improved. Moreover, when the paint cartridge 13 is used, when the paint gun 8 is turned off, there is no need to recirculate the paint, and the amount of waste liquid at the time of color change becomes particularly small, so that the running cost can be reduced.

The color change valve unit 11 can be mounted on a relatively small manipulator because the number of paint tubes is reduced and the mounting space is reduced. FIG. 5A is a front view of the holder 41. FIG. 5B is a side view of the holder 41.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the holder 41 is in contact with the arm portions 41a and 41b which are in contact with both sides of the color changing valve unit 11 and the paint cartridge 13, and is in contact with the upper portion of the paint cartridge 13. It comprises a holding portion 41c and mounting portions 41d and 41e which are bent horizontally from lower ends of the arms 41a and 41b. Then, the mounting portion 41d,
The insertion hole 4 of the bolt 45 fixed to the arm 6 is
1f is provided. An L-shaped engaging member 42 is fixed at an intermediate position of the holding portion 41c by a mounting bolt 43 and a nut 44. The locking member 42 extends from the extending portion 4 extending forward from the pressing portion 41c.
2a and a locking portion 42b bent downward from the end of the extending portion 42a.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the paint cartridge 13. As shown in FIG. 6, the arm portions 41 a and 41 of the holder 41 are provided on the side and top surfaces of the paint cartridge 13.
b, a groove 13b for fitting the holding portion 41c is provided. The depth of the groove 13b is determined by the arm portions 41a, 41
b, the thickness of the holding portion 41c, and the width of the groove 13b is formed so as to correspond to the width of the arm portions 41a, 41b, and the holding portion 41c. Therefore, the holder 41 is attached to the mounting portion 41 while being fitted in the groove 13 b of the paint cartridge 13.
d and 41e are fixed to the arm 6 and the locking member 4
The second engaging portion 42b abuts on the front end of the paint cartridge 13, so that the paint cartridge 13 can be firmly fixed in any direction.

That is, even if the second arm 6 is swung in the front-rear direction, the horizontal direction, or the up-down direction, the paint cartridge 13 is stably held, thereby preventing the paint cartridge 13 from falling off during the painting operation. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the connection structure of the nozzle 13a of the paint cartridge 13.

As shown in FIG. 7, the nozzle 13a of the paint cartridge 13 is a nozzle dedicated to mounting the cartridge for connection to the color changing valve unit 11. The tip of the nozzle 13a is tapered by a conical portion 13c, and a cylindrical portion 13d is provided above the conical portion 13c. Further, between the conical portion 13c and the cylindrical portion 13d, a constricted portion 13e for locking is provided.

A ball 46 (shown by a dashed line in FIG. 7), which is pushed up when filling the paint pressurized with air and closes the internal flow path 13f, is capped on the internal flow path 13f of the nozzle 13a. Has been inserted as. A groove 47 is provided on the inner peripheral side of the constricted portion 13e. Groove 4
7 is provided with an oil seal 48. further,
A space 49 is formed above the oil seal 48. Inside the space 49, locking balls 51, 52 urged inward by a coil spring 50 are provided.

On the other hand, the joint 55 of the conduit 43 extending from the color changing valve unit 11 has a claw portion 56 which is locked by the constricted portion 13e. The claw portion 56 is engaged with the constricted portion 13e while the nozzle 13a is inserted, and connects the pipeline 43 and the nozzle 13a. Also, the nozzle 57 of the joint 55
A recess 58 is provided on the outer periphery of the distal end of. The recess 58 is engaged with the locking balls 51 and 52 and locked. Therefore, when the paint cartridge 13 is mounted, the locking balls 51 and 52 function as a coupling by engaging with the recesses 58.

The ball 46 closing the internal flow path 13f of the nozzle 13a is connected to the nozzle 57 of the joint 55 by the nozzle 1
When inserted into the internal flow path 13f of 3a, it is pushed down to open the nozzle 13a. Thus, the conduit 43 of the color changing valve unit 11 is communicated with the paint cartridge 13 via the nozzle 57 and the nozzle 13a.

The claw portion 56 locked to the constricted portion 13e
When the pressure in the paint cartridge 13 is high, the paint cartridge 13 is fixed by being locked by the constricted portion 13e. Further, the paint in the paint cartridge 13 is discharged and decreased, and the pressure in the paint cartridge 13 is reduced, so that the locking force of the claw portion 56 to the constricted portion 13e is weakened, and the paint cartridge 13 can be detached from the joint 55. .

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the structure of the color changing valve unit 11. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the color changing valve unit 11 includes the above-described paint switching valves 31 to 34, the cartridge paint switching valve 35 in the manifold 30,
The air switching valve 36 and the thinner switching valve 37 are connected in parallel. The paint switching valves 31 to 34 are pneumatically operated three-port two-position valves that are opened by an air signal supplied through the air tubes 18a to 18d. The paint switching valves 31 to 34 are connected to the signal tubes 18 a to 18.
When the air signal is not input from d, the paint supplied from the paint supply tubes 12a to 12d is returned to the paint supply device 14 via the paint return tubes 12f to 12i to prevent the curing of the paint. And the paint switching valve 31
To 34, paints A to D having different colors are supplied, and when an arbitrary color is selected from the paints A to D according to the coating color of the non-painted object, a switching valve for the selected color is selected. Is supplied to the manifold 30, and only the switching valve to which the air signal is input among the switching valves 31 to 34 for paint is switched to discharge the paint to the manifold 30.

Further, a paint switching valve 35 for the cartridge,
The air switching valve 36 and the thinner switching valve 37 are pneumatically operated two-port two-position valves that open by an air signal supplied via signal tubes 18e to 18g, respectively. A paint pump 2 is provided in the middle of a paint supply tube 19 that communicates between the manifold 30 and the paint gun 8.
An air operated valve 60 for controlling the air supply pressure to the paint pump 9 and the paint pump 29 is provided.

Further, the coating gun 8 has a gun control air supply tube 2 for supplying a spray on / off signal.
6. Atomizing air supply tube 27 for supplying atomizing air
And are connected. Here, for example, when there is a painting instruction of a color which is not usually used, the paint cartridge 13 of the designated color is placed in the manifold 3 of the color changing valve unit 11.
0 and fixed by the holder 41,
The joint 55 of the conduit 43 is connected to the nozzle 13a. Normally, the paint cartridge 13 is filled with paint for one playback. When a paint that is used relatively infrequently is designated, the paint switch valve 35 for the cartridge is opened and the paint in the paint cartridge 13 is opened. Is supplied to the coating gun 8. After the coating of the paint cartridge 13 with the paint is completed, another cartridge filled with a small amount of thinner is mounted on the manifold 30 of the color changing valve unit 11 to clean the inside of the manifold 30. In addition, paint gun 8
Is cleaned by the thinner supplied from the thinner switching valve 37.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view for explaining the structure of a pneumatically operated two-port two-position valve. As shown in FIG. 9, the cartridge paint switching valve 35 generally includes an upper case 63, a lower case 64, a piston rod 65, and the like. The upper case 63 is provided with an air inflow passage 69 for piston driving air to which an air signal is supplied via the signal tube 18e, and an air chamber 71 which is maintained at the air pressure supplied from the air inflow passage 69. I have.

The air chamber 71 houses a piston 72 attached to a piston rod 65, and the piston 7
Airtightness is provided by a lip seal 73 mounted on the outer periphery of the second. When an air signal from the air inflow passage 69 is supplied to the air chamber 71, the piston 72 is pressed downward and moves downward (in the direction A) together with the piston rod 65.
On the other hand, the lower case 24 has a spring receiver 74 against which a coil spring 76 for urging the piston 72 upward (direction B) abuts.
Is attached.

On the left side of the lower case 64, a paint inflow passage 77 is provided. The paint inflow passage 77 is communicated with the paint chamber 75, and is connected to the conduit 43 communicated with the paint cartridge 13. Here, the signal tube 1
When the air signal from 8e is supplied to the air chamber 71, the piston 72 and the piston rod 65 move downward (direction A), and the tapered valve body 78 provided at the lower end of the piston rod 65 causes the discharge port 79 to move. And the discharge port 79 is opened. As a result, the paint in the paint cartridge 13 supplied to the paint inflow passage 77 passes through the paint chamber 75 and the discharge port 79 and is discharged to the manifold 30 of the color changing valve unit 11.

When the supply of the air signal from the signal tube 18e is stopped, the air pressure in the air chamber 71 decreases,
The piston rod 65 is pushed upward (direction B) by the spring force of the coil spring 76. As a result, the valve body 78 provided at the lower end of the piston rod 65
To close the discharge port 79. Therefore, the supply of the paint from the paint cartridge 13 to the manifold 30 is stopped.

As described above, when the air signal is supplied to the air chamber 71, the switching valve 35 for the paint for the cartridge is activated.
When the valve 8 is opened and the paint in the paint cartridge 13 is supplied to the painting gun 8 and the air signal to the air chamber 71 is turned off, the valve body 78 closes and the paint supply to the paint cartridge 13 is stopped. You. Therefore, the cartridge paint switching valve 35 is closed when the paint cartridge 13 is replaced, and is opened when paint is supplied to the coating gun 8.

The air switching valve 36 and the thinner switching valve 3
7 has the same configuration as the cartridge paint switching valve 35, but its description is omitted. FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram for explaining a coating system in which a manipulator 80 for replacing a cartridge is installed near the manipulator 1 for coating. The paint cartridge 13 may be replaced manually by an operator, or may be automatically replaced by a cartridge replacement manipulator 80 as shown in FIG.

Manipulator 80 for cartridge replacement
Operates to take out the paint cartridge 13 of the designated color (number) from the plurality of paint cartridges 13 arranged in a rack (not shown) and mount it on the manipulator 1 as a painting robot. The manipulator 80 is a robot dedicated to cartridge replacement, and has a cartridge replacement chuck 81 attached to the tip of the wrist.
The cartridge replacement chuck 81 has a pair of gripping claws 81 a and 81 b that open and close in the vertical direction. The pair of gripping claws 81 a and 81 b are
The paint cartridge 13 can be gripped by operating in the direction.

The air driving device 82 is controlled by an air signal supplied through an air tube 83.
For example, when the paint cartridge 13 mounted on the color changing valve unit 11 of the manipulator 1 becomes empty, the manipulator 80 removes the used paint cartridge 13 from the manipulator 1 by using the cartridge replacement chuck 81, and then removes the used paint cartridge 13 from the manipulator 1. Used paint cartridge 13
And the color changing valve unit 11 of the manipulator 1
Attach to.

In the configuration in which the manipulators 1 and 80 are installed as described above, since the replacement operation of the paint cartridge 13 is automatically performed, the paint can be supplied only by the paint cartridge 13 without the color change valve unit 11 from the manipulator 1. It is also possible to do so. In that case, the load on the second arm 6 can be significantly reduced,
The operating characteristics of the manipulator 1 can be improved, and the operating accuracy can be further improved.

Next, a modification of the present invention will be described. FIG. 11 is a perspective view when the coating system 90 of the modified example is mounted on an arm of a manipulator. As shown in FIG. 11, the manipulator 121 has the same configuration as the above-described manipulator 1, and the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

On the second arm 6 of the manipulator 121, a paint flow control pump 97, a flow meter 99, a hardener flow control pump 100 and a metering pump 10 of the coating system 90 are provided.
3. A joint (two-liquid mixer) 106 and the like are mounted. As described above, since the coating system 90 is small, it can be mounted on the upper part of the second arm 6 or housed inside.

FIG. 12 is a system diagram showing a configuration of a coating system 90 of a modified example. FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a piston pump. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the coating system 90 includes a paint supply system 90A that supplies the paint A to the coating gun 8 and a curing agent supply system 90B that supplies the curing agent B. This is a liquid mixing system, and is mounted on, for example, the manipulator 121 as a coating robot configured as described above. The paint supply system 90A is a system communicating with the above-described color changing valve unit 11, and the curing agent supply system 90B is a branch passage branched from the paint supply system 90A.

The metering pump 103 is provided as a device for supplying another paint or liquid (curing agent B in the present modification) through a branch passage, as will be described later. Also,
The joint unit 106 functions as a mixing unit that supplies another paint or liquid from the metering pump 103 in a fixed amount while one paint is supplied to the paint supply system path 90A.

In this modified example, a case where a paint that is hard to be cured after painting is applied as an example will be described.
The curing agent B is injected into and mixed with the paint A supplied through the paint supply system 90A. In addition, the present invention can also be applied to a case in which the paint A is mixed with the paint B and the intermediate color paint is supplied to the coating gun 8, or the aluminum powder is contained in the paint A for metallic coating. The present invention can also be applied to a case in which the aluminum powder is uniformly mixed into the coating material A by injecting the prepared liquid agent.

The controller 91 is a control unit for managing and controlling the entire coating system. The host computer 92 is a control unit for instructing the controller 91 on the mixing ratio of the two liquids and the coating timing. The paint tank 93 of the paint supply path 90A is a tank filled with the paint A, and the paint A is supplied and stopped by opening and closing the control valve 94. The curing agent tank 95 of the curing agent supply system path 90B is a tank filled with the curing agent B,
Is supplied and stopped by the opening and closing operation of the control valve 96.

The paint A supplied from the paint tank 93 via the control valve 94 is pressurized and discharged by the paint flow control pump 97. The paint flow control pump 97 is
Driven by a servo motor 98. Further, the flow rate of the paint A discharged from the paint flow control pump 97 is measured by the flow meter 99 in real time. Then, the measured value from the flow meter 99 is taken in as a feedback value, and the servo motor 98 is driven so that a constant flow rate is discharged from the paint flow control pump 97.

The hardener tank 95 is opened by opening the control valve 96.
From the curing agent flow control pump 10
It is pressurized by 0 and discharged. The hardener flow control pump 100 is driven by a servomotor 101. The hardener B discharged from the hardener flow control pump 100 flows into the cylinder 103a of the metering pump 103 as a liquid injection means by opening the control valve 102 on the suction side. The piston 103 is provided inside the cylinder 103a.
b is slidably inserted.

The piston 13b moves in the Ya direction by driving the servo motor 104. And the control valve 102
With the opening of the valve, the hardener B is injected into the cylinder 103a. Further, the piston 13b is
When the control valve 105 on the discharge side is opened at the same time when the control valve 105 is moved in the Yb direction by the drive, the hardener B injected into the cylinder 103a is discharged from the control valve 105. still,
The curing agent supply system path 90B communicates between a joint 106 provided in the paint supply system path 90A and the control valve 105.

Therefore, the piston 1 of the metering pump 103
The curing agent B discharged from the cylinder 103a by the pushing operation of 3b is discharged to the joint 106. Then, the coating material A that has passed through the flow meter 99 provided in the coating material supply path 90 </ b> A becomes the hardener B discharged from the control valve 105.
And at the joint 106. Joint part 10
The coating gun 8 provided downstream from the joint 6
At 06, the mixture of the coating material A and the curing agent B is supplied, and the mixture is sprayed on the surface to be coated (not shown).

The controller 91 includes a CPU 10
8, a servo amplifier 109 and a solenoid valve 110. The CPU 108 instructs driving of the servo motors 98, 101, 104 via the servo amplifier 109 based on the coating timing data instructed by the host computer 92, the flow data from the flow meter 99, and the like.
Further, the CPU 108 controls the opening and closing of the solenoid valve 110 and supplies an air switching signal to each of the control valves 94, 96, 102, 105 and the coating gun 8 so that the coating can be performed at the specified coating timing.

As shown in FIG. 13, the piston rod 113 of the metering pump 103 is
11 is connected. Therefore, the ball screw mechanism 11
When 1 is driven by the motor 112, the piston 103b moves in the Ya or Yb direction. When the power is turned on, the piston 103a is stopped at the origin position (the right end position of the stroke L in FIG. 13). Therefore, if the piston 103b is at a position other than the origin position, a process of moving the piston 103b to the origin position when the power is turned on is executed.

If the piston 103b is at the home position, the control valve 102 is opened and the control valve 105 is closed. At the same time, the ball screw mechanism 111 is driven by the motor 112 to move the piston 103b in the Ya direction and inject the hardener B discharged from the hardener flow control pump 100 into the cylinder 103a. When the piston 103b reaches the left end position of the stroke L, the control valve 102 is closed.
Further, when a coating start instruction and a mixing ratio of the two liquids are instructed from the host computer 92, the control valve 102 is closed and the control valve 105 is opened. At the same time, the ball screw mechanism 111
Is driven by the motor 112 to move the piston 103b in the Yb direction, thereby discharging the curing agent B in the cylinder 103a to the joint 106. Then, in the joint portion 106, the curing agent B is flown and mixed with the coating material A.

Here, assuming that the mixing ratio instructed by the host computer 92 is 1: n and the flow rate from the paint A is a, the flow rate of the curing agent B is a / n. Further, when the diameter of the piston 103b is 2d and the stroke length is L, the feed speed v of the piston can be expressed by the following equation. v = a /
(Nd2π) (1) FIG.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of the device.

As shown in FIG. 14, the joint 1
06 is a flow path 106a communicated with the paint supply system path 90A.
An L-shaped nozzle 106b is inserted into the center of the inside of the nozzle 106b. The nozzle opening 106c of the nozzle 106b is
It extends along the axis of the flow path 106a and opens downstream. Since the nozzle 106b is connected to the downstream end of the curing agent supply system path 90B, the
The hardening agent B extruded by 03b is supplied. Therefore, in the joint portion 106, the curing agent B discharged from the nozzle 106b is mixed with the center of the flow path having the highest flow velocity in the flow path 106a. As described above, the curing agent B having a small mixing ratio is gradually mixed into the flow path 106a in which the coating material A having the larger mixing ratio is flowing at a high flow rate, so that the mixture can be uniformly mixed.

Here, the motor 1 of the ball screw mechanism 111
12, the piston 103b is moved to Yb at a piston feed speed adjusted to the mixing ratio instructed by the host computer 92.
Drive in the direction. The hardener B discharged from the control valve 105 by the pushing operation of the piston 103b is mixed with the paint A passing through the flow meter 99 at the specified mixing ratio. Further, the nozzle 10
The curing agent B discharged from the nozzle opening 106c of 6b is
Since it is mixed into the center of the coating material A flowing through the flow path 106a, it is more uniformly mixed. Thus, the mixture of the coating material A and the curing agent B uniformly mixed at the specified mixing ratio is stably supplied to the coating gun 8.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining a processing procedure executed by the controller 91. As shown in FIG. 15, when the power is turned on, step S1 is executed.
(Hereinafter “step” is omitted), the piston 103B
Is determined to be the origin position (the right end position of the stroke L in FIG. 13). If the piston 103b is not at the origin position, the process of S2 is performed.

In the next S2, the piston 103b is moved to the origin position. Then, when the position of the piston 103b becomes the origin position, the processing after S3 is performed. If the piston 103b is at the home position when the power is turned on, S
Step 2 is omitted. In the next step S3, the process waits for a mixture ratio instruction (1: n) from the host computer 92.
Subsequently, in S4, the processing after S5 is performed until an end instruction is received from the host computer 92.

In S5, the control valve 96 for the curing agent B is opened. Subsequently, in S6, the control valve 102 on the suction side of the cylinder 103a is opened. In the next S7, the curing agent flow control pump 1
The driving of the servo motor 101 of 00 is started. And
In S8, the piston 103b is moved to the position of L (the left end position of the stroke L in FIG.
The curing agent B is injected into the inside 3a. This operation of injecting the hardener B can fill the cylinder 103a while the manipulator is on standby, so that the time required for refilling the hardener B can be saved.

In the next S9, the control valve 96 of the curing agent B is closed. Subsequently, the control valve 102 on the suction side is closed in S10. In step S11, the control valve 105 on the discharge side is opened. Further, in S12, the control valve 94 of the paint A is opened, and the servo motor 98 of the paint flow control pump 97 is driven. Based on the flow signal measured by the flow meter 99, the paint A having a constant flow rate is supplied to the paint supply path 90A. Is controlled to flow.

In the next S13, the host computer 92
From the mixing ratio (1: n) specified by
Calculate the feed speed v of b. Then, the servo motor 104 is driven in S15 so as to move the piston 103b at the feed speed v calculated in S13 until the piston 103B moves to the origin position (the right end position of the stroke L in FIG. 13) in S14.

As described above, the moving speed of the piston 103b is controlled by the mixing ratio (1:
By maintaining the feed speed v according to n), the coating gun 8
The mixture of the coating material A and the curing agent B, which are uniformly mixed at the mixing ratio indicated in the above, can be stably supplied. Further, as described above, the curing agent B is mixed with the coating material A at the joint portion 106 provided immediately before the coating gun 8, so that the time from mixing the two liquids to spraying with the coating gun 8 is short. Thus, the coating can be applied before the coating starts to be cured, and the desired coating quality can be obtained.

Therefore, even when the mixing ratio is changed,
It is only necessary to discard the paint remaining between the joint 106 and the coating gun 8, so that the amount of waste paint can be reduced to an extremely small amount. Further, since there is no concentration deviation between the two liquids in the joint portion 106, desired paint quality can be obtained. In the above description, the coating system 90 has been described as being equipped with a manipulator. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to a manual type coating facility.

[0073]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
Since a paint device that supplies other paint is provided in the branch passage of the paint supply system, the number of paint tubes can be reduced by, for example, supplying paint with a small number of coatings from the paint device branched from the paint supply system. And the burden on the robot arm can be reduced. Therefore, since the number of paint tubes mounted along the robot arm can be reduced, the number of paint tube piping steps can be reduced, and the maintainability of maintenance can be improved.
Further, the number of pumps and tubes of the paint supply device can be reduced, the cost of the coating system can be reduced, and the installation space can be reduced.

Further, since the weight of the paint tube is reduced and the load on the arm is reduced, the response delay of the manipulator is reduced, the accuracy of the trajectory of the painting operation is improved, and the painting quality can be improved. According to the second aspect of the present invention, a paint cartridge is connected to a branch passage branched from the paint supply system to selectively supply paint from the paint cartridge or paint from the paint supply system to the paint gun. For example, it is possible to reduce the number of paint tubes by supplying paint with a small number of coatings from a paint cartridge branched from a paint supply path, thereby reducing the load on the robot arm.

Further, by using the cartridge, the amount of waste liquid at the time of color change can be greatly reduced, and the running cost can be reduced. Further, since the number of paint tubes is small, it can be mounted on a small robot. According to the third aspect of the present invention, during the supply of one paint to the paint supply system by the mixing means, the other paint or liquid is supplied from the equipment provided in the branch passage in a constant amount.
The two liquids can be stably mixed at an arbitrary mixing ratio. In addition, since it mixes immediately before using the mixing of two liquids,
It is possible to prevent a decrease in the quality of the paint after mixing. Moreover, since the amount required for painting is mixed in real time, waste of paint can be minimized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a painting robot according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a painting robot.

FIG. 3 shows a color changing valve unit 11 mounted on an arm.
FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the color changing valve unit 11;

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the shape of a holder 41.

6 is a side view of the paint cartridge 13. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a connection structure of a nozzle 13a of the paint cartridge 13.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a color changing valve unit 11;

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view for explaining a configuration of a pneumatically operated two-port two-position valve.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram for explaining a coating system in which a manipulator 80 for replacing a cartridge is installed near a manipulator 1 for coating.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view when a coating system 90 of a modified example is mounted on an arm of a manipulator.

FIG. 12 is a system diagram showing a configuration of a coating system 90 of a modified example.

FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a piston pump.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of the joint unit 106.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure executed by a controller.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Painting robot 4 Revolving base 5 1st arm 6 2nd arm 7 Wrist part 8 Painting gun 10 Robot controller 11 Color change valve unit 12a-12g, 22, 25 Paint supply tube 12f-12g Paint reflux tube 13 Paint cartridge 13a Nozzle 14 paint supply device 15 control device 18a-18g signal tube 19 supply common tube 29 paint pump 30 manifold 31-34 paint switch valve 35 cartridge paint switch valve 36 air switch valve 37 thinner switch valve 41 holder 42 Locking member 43 Pipe 55 Joint 63 Upper case 64 Lower case 65 Piston rod 69 Air inflow 71 Air chamber 72 Piston 75 Paint chamber 77 Paint inflow 78 Valve body 79 Discharge port 80 Manipulator for cartridge replacement 81 Cartridge replacement chuck 82 Air drive device 90 Painting system 90A Paint supply system 90B Hardener supply system 91 Controller 92 Host computer 93 Paint tank 94, 96, 102, 105 Control valve 95 Hardener tank 97 Paint flow control pump 99 Flow rate Total 100 Curing agent flow control pump 103a Cylinder 103b Piston 106 Joint part 121 Manipulator 106a Channel 106b Nozzle 106c Nozzle opening

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuation of front page (72) Noriaki Saisaka 1-6-3 Fujimi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Tokiko Corporation

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A coating gun is mounted on a tip of an arm, a color change valve unit is provided in a paint supply system formed along the arm, and a color change valve unit is switched to the coating gun by a switching operation of the color change valve unit. A coating robot configured to selectively supply the coating material, wherein a coating path is provided in the coating supply path, and coating equipment for supplying another coating material is provided in the branch path. robot. 2. A coating gun is mounted on a tip of an arm, a color changing valve unit is provided in a paint supply path formed along the arm, and a switching operation of the color changing valve unit causes the color changing valve unit to be connected to the coating gun. A coating robot configured to selectively supply the coating material according to claim 1, wherein a branch path is provided in the coating supply path, and a coating cartridge that supplies another coating material is connected to the branch path; Alternatively, there is provided a paint switching means for selectively supplying paint from the paint supply system to the paint gun. 3. A paint gun is mounted on the tip of the arm, a color changing valve unit is provided in a paint supply path formed along the arm, and the color changing valve unit is switched to the coating gun by a switching operation. A coating robot configured to selectively supply the coating material of the above, wherein a branch path is provided in the coating supply path, and a device for supplying another coating material or liquid is provided in the branch path; A coating robot, further comprising mixing means for supplying the other paint or liquid from the device at a constant rate during supply of one paint.