KR20200114893A - Dispenser system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dispenser system in which a host controller can exchange information with local dispensers, and the local dispensers can exchange information with each other. The information may be a dispensing process, information related to quality and reliability, problems and/or help information, and applications. The information can be exchanged in real time during fluid dispensing, so that any problems can be shared and quickly solved, even in remote locations. The applications can be developed at local dispensers or a host, and then shared over a network. In addition, an operating system comprises an application software development tool, and the applications include: monitoring of delivery schedules and product inventory; automatic issuance of purchase orders; broadcast training; and implementation of industry standards for validation and approval.

Description

Dispenser system

The present invention relates to a dispenser system that can be controlled remotely.

For product manufacturers and suppliers, consistent, controllable, and precise dispensing of fluids of varying viscosities remains a difficult problem. For example, in the product manufacturing industry, stably and accurately dispensing an adhesive becomes a very important factor in order to maintain the high quality and structural integrity of the final product.

Here, the final product may include any assembly in which an adhesive is used to secure the individual parts of the structure together.

The final product range covers a wide range, from, for example, airplane assembly to audio systems, furniture, architecture and packaging.

For example, when dispensers are geographically and widely diverse, quality control of the final product becomes very difficult.

For example, it is not easy to control the viscosity of various fluids in the case of having a wide variety of viscosities and not performing subsequent dispensing dripping. Uniform, high-quality, worldwide dispensing is an important competitive advantage.

In adhesives or similar fluids, the term "dot" or "bead" refers to the quantitative component of the fluid being dispensed, and "fluid" refers to an object that acts like an object, commonly referred to as water. Refers to a liquid or solvent. "Drop" refers to a quantitative criterion that exists as a single fluid, and "bead" refers to a fluid that is continuously dispensed.

In any case, the amount of fluid dispensed is very important. For example, when beads are dispensed along a curved path, dynamic diversity of a dispenser is very important than when dispensing a straight line in order to obtain a uniform bead.

The location of the droplets or beads dispensed on the workpiece depends on the individual's ability to handle the dispensing gun or the position control facility that controls the X-Y coordinates of the workpiece. The above contents are well known in the art, and in the present specification, they are referred to only by reference.

US Patent Publication No. 5,630,527

In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, production facilities using an adhesive dispenser according to the present invention are distributed worldwide in various technical fields. Dispensers distributed around the world operate without fully understanding how to operate, resulting in poor quality uniformity and serious damage. Regardless of geographic location, dispensing the adhesive accurately and precisely (repeatedly) is very important for product assembly. For example, the dispensing properties of adhesives used in Mexico, the United States, or any country in the world must be kept very good.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the dispenser system according to the present invention communicates with each of one or more dispensers including a processor, a memory, a user interface, a communication hardware, and a software program that communicates with a host through a network, A fluid dispenser system comprising a host including a user interface, video and audio hardware, communication hardware, a software application program detailing steps specific to a dispensing application, and an operating system, wherein the host comprises: the one or more In dispensers, backoff to determine the droplet size of a given adhesive fluid and to maintain the droplet size as a function of the number of steps of the stepping motor to dispense the droplet size and the quantity of the predetermined adhesive fluid in the syringe. Download the software application that configures the one or more dispensers to determine the number of steps, provide a droplet size of a predetermined adhesive fluid, and the number of steps of the stepping motor for dispensing the droplet size and the predetermined in the syringe. Run the program in one or more fluid dispensers to provide a number of backoff steps to maintain the droplet size as a function of the amount of adhesive fluid in the program and to provide a rest position at a specified step in the program, and the one or more fluids When the program in the dispenser reaches the step of stopping dispensing, the state of the at least one dispenser is detected, the state of the dispenser detected is fed back to the host, and the state of the dispenser is reviewed by the host. If the state of the dispenser meets the operating standard of the fluid dispenser, the one or more fluid dispensers are instructed to continue its operation, and if the state of the dispenser does not meet the operating standard of the fluid dispenser, the one or more fluids Characterized in that it is configured to instruct the dispenser to stop its operation and notify field workers All.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a dispenser system capable of accurately and precisely (repeatedly) dispensing adhesives regardless of geographic location.

1A, 1B and 1C are block diagrams of a host dispenser controller in communication with multiple local dispensers over a network.
2A is a block diagram of a regional dispenser.
Fig. 2B is a diagram showing in detail a syringe for dispensing beads on a workpiece.
3 is a block diagram showing a host.
Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a list of software residing on a host.
Fig. 5 is a diagram showing software resident on a local dispenser.
6 is a flow chart showing an operation performed between the host and the local dispenser.

Hereinafter, other objects and features of the present invention in addition to the above objects will be clearly revealed through the description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, and unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein including technical or scientific terms are It has the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in a commonly used dictionary should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and should not be interpreted as an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in this application. Does not.

First, FIG. 1A is a diagram showing several network devices of a host 2 that control a plurality of local dispensers (LDs: 6) connected by a bussed Ethernet network (4). In addition to the bus-type Ethernet (4), it is also possible to use a daisy-chain, ring-type or star-type network. FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a structure in which the host 2 communicates with a plurality of local dispensers 6 through a network 5.

In this case, the network 5 may be wireless, eg, WiFi, Bluetooth or substantially any communication network. Fig. 1c shows a system in which the host is sprayed, in which the host 2'communicates with the host 2'either directly (3) via the network 5'or the network A.

The network can be wired, wireless, or a combination of both.

Communications between devices communicating over any network involve a two-way link using a known protocol.

Briefly, the host and each local dispenser must establish a communication link between the corresponding devices, and the meaning (protocol) of bits transmitted between the two must be able to be decoded by both.

Although the actual link type or protocol may be distinguished from the other networks listed above, almost any network can be used in the present invention, and as such, the network and protocol are incidental to the present invention and require further explanation. Except for no further mention.

Fig. 2a shows a local controller 6 including a human interface 16 for inputting commands and displaying status, information, and the like.

For example, a touch screen, a keypad, or a keypad may be used. Other indicators, such as LEDs, are built into the controller, along with a microprocessor or Digital Signal Processor (DSP:15). The memory 18 includes a buffer, a cache, and a main memory containing executable code. In some applications, large-capacity memory or disk memory may be used, and in other applications, flash memory may be used, which may contain dispensing software and application software that are uploaded and executed from main memory.

In this case, since the flash memory is removed, the controller 6 may not have software for software protection. Other input/output units 20 may include audio, video, syringe and/or gun dispensers, motor drives for X-Y tables, and communication devices to local dispensers.

By means of the communication device, the host 2 can actively monitor the status and working conditions of the dispenser 6, and deliver new or updated software and information through the network 4.

2A and 2B show a regional dispenser 6 with a syringe 10, a piston 11 and an X-Y table (or handgun dispenser) driven by a motor 9.

The work to ensure the position and movement of the dispensing and movement of the workpiece and the droplet or bead mounted on the X-Y table are detailed in the aforementioned US patents or patent applications. The motor adjusts the position of the workpiece and the size of the beads as determined by the motor drive software embedded in the local dispenser 6.

In this case, as the X-Y table moves the workpiece, the syringe 10 continuously dispenses the fluid 12 in the form of a bead 13. In some cases, the fluid 12 may be an adhesive dispensed on the workpiece 15 in the form of droplets 21.

In this case, a series of spaced apart adhesive drops and/or beads are dispensed onto the workpiece, which is pressed onto another workpiece (not shown) to form a rigid assembly.

Typically the size of the droplet/bead is very important with regard to its application. In commercial applications, too little or too much fluid, or uneven bead shape, adversely affects the quality of the final assembly.

In addition, if falling liquid occurs after dispensing, the appearance and water solubility of the final product are adversely affected. The precise and accurate physical dispensing operation of fluid, and the control of dispensing, back pressure, back off, etc. are described in the aforementioned U.S. patents and patent applications.

In some cases, the dispenser can be used to dispense fluids (not adhesives) into vials, and equivalent backoff processes can be developed depending on the amount and type of fluid being dispensed. Here, a back-off process may be developed such that a meniscus fluid is maintained in the needle hole after each portion of the fluid is dispensed.

When the amount of fluid to be dispensed, the amount of fluid remaining in the syringe, and the type of fluid (fluid viscosity, surface tension, and other physical properties) are changed, the dispensing process and the number associated with it all change.

In this case, these numbers can be determined empirically for each application, and these can also be found in detail with reference to the above-described US patent applications and patents.

In Fig. 3, the host controller 2 is described. The host has almost the same category of hardware and software as found in local dispensers, but much larger. The host 2 must work for or control multiple regional dispensers in real time over a wide geographic range.

As described above, a host may be a plurality of processors operating in cooperation with each other, and the processors may be in different locations with respect to the network.

The host 2 may be a large-scale high-speed processor system 30 capable of high-speed real-time control of thousands of local dispensers.

The processor can be selected from manufacturers of large computer and server systems such as IBM, for example. The high-speed memory 32 may include a large-scale RAM system, buffer, cache, flash and spare disk system manufactured by IBM, EMC, Network Appliance, or the like.

The input/output unit 34 may include a general touch screen, a keyboard, an indicator (LED), a printer, a scanner, video and audio hardware, and a high-speed encoding communication facility.

The host software is shown in Fig. 4, which includes an operating system that communicates with the operating system of the local dispenser.

It is desirable that the operating system is open source and/or has a tool that includes application programs for writing and refining. For example, it is possible to use ANDROID (or DROID) for a mobile system that is based on Linux and allows JAVA to be used for writing applications (applications: commonly referred to as "apps"). The iPHONE operating system includes an SDK (Software Developer Kit) that includes an app for writing. XP and similar operating systems typically support programs including authoring apps.

Other programs may include dispensing programs, diagnostic and service programs, education/training programs, and encryption programs, and may include programs for implementing, complying, and testing quality industry standards.

The software residing on local dispensers exchanges communications cooperatively with the host. The dispensing program can be downloaded from the host and executed on the local dispenser.

As mentioned above, the dispensing process can be developed empirically at a local dispenser or host. For example, for a specific fluid for a specific application, the number of steps of the stepping motor for dispensing the required droplets or beads and then the number of back-off steps to prevent dripping due to emptying of the syringe is determined by one local dispenser. Can be developed.

Once developed, the process can be uploaded to a host and then downloaded to diskettes anywhere in the world. This process can be tested locally to ensure quality and reliability. Part of the test in each area may include video of drops and/or beads sent to the host. Hosts can verify that work is being done properly in multiple locations.

Voice communication with local authorities can be used to redundantly verify that the work is done properly. In other cases, one regional dispenser may be configured to communicate with and transmit a dispensing program to another.

6 shows a working example of networked dispensers. Here, a specific adhesive dispensing program is developed at a local dispenser for a specific assembly (60). Upon completion, the program is uploaded to the host (62).

The host downloads the program to other local dispensers that assemble the same product using the same dispensing program (64). The local dispenser that receives the downloaded program can verify that the program works properly (66). When an issue occurs (80), the issue is communicated to the host (86), and the host sends this issue to the local dispenser where the program was first created.

The issues delivered in this way are resolved cooperatively among the parties involved (84), and the program is modified (82) and uploaded to the host (88), and if an issue does not occur after verifying the program (68), the program operates normally. (70) The product is assembled.

As the program steps are performed, data is transmitted to the host at predetermined steps (72) The data may include an image or other indication of malfunction (such as an improper motor step or fall), and the operation meets the criteria. If so (76), the program is executed until it is completed and ends (92).

If the work does not meet the criteria or unexpected issues arise (74), program execution can be stopped (77) and local personnel can be notified. The host communicates this issue with the dispenser the program was originally created on (86), and the issue will be resolved (84), and the program is modified (82) and uploaded to the host for download to a dispenser in another location (82).

Preferably, the host and one or more regional dispensers may cooperate in developing the dispensing program.

Real-time communication between the host and local dispensers allows multiple designers to discover and quickly resolve problems or other issues. Problems or other issues can be found and resolved more quickly due to differences in regions, materials and personnel.

As described above, in the present invention, specific matters such as specific components, etc., and limited embodiments and drawings have been described, but this is provided only to help a more general understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. , If a person of ordinary skill in the field to which the present invention belongs, various modifications and variations are possible from these descriptions.

Therefore, the spirit of the present invention is limited to the described embodiments and should not be defined, and all those having variations equivalent or equivalent to the claims, as well as the claims to be described later, will belong to the scope of the inventive concept. .

2: Host 4: Busy Ethernet
6: Multiple regional dispensers

Claims (1)

It communicates with each of one or more dispensers including a processor, memory, user interface, communication hardware, and software program that communicates with the host through a network, and is used for processor, memory, user interface, video and audio hardware, communication hardware, and dispensing purposes. A fluid dispenser system comprising a host comprising an operating system and a software application detailing specialized steps, the host to determine a droplet size of a predetermined adhesive fluid to the one or more dispensers via the network and The software to configure the one or more dispensers to determine the number of steps of the stepping motor to dispense the droplet size and the number of backoff steps to maintain the droplet size as a function of the amount of the predetermined adhesive fluid in the syringe. Download the application, provide a droplet size of a predetermined adhesive fluid, and maintain the droplet size as a function of the number of steps of the stepping motor for dispensing the droplet size and the quantity of the predetermined adhesive fluid in the syringe. Upon reaching the step of executing the program on one or more fluid dispensers to provide a number of backoff steps and to provide a resting position at a specified step in the program, stopping dispensing in the program of the one or more fluid dispensers, When the state of the at least one dispenser is detected (developing) and the state of the detected dispenser is fed back to the host, the state of the dispenser is reviewed by the host, and the state of the dispenser meets the operating standard of the fluid dispenser The at least one fluid dispenser is instructed to continue its operation, and when the state of the dispenser does not meet the operating standard of the fluid dispenser, it is configured to instruct the at least one fluid dispenser to stop its operation and notify a field worker. Dispenser system, characterized in that.

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