CN117621652B

CN117621652B - Spraying equipment and printing system

Info

Publication number: CN117621652B
Application number: CN202311677664.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王希; 周宇; 冯建军; 王先成
Original assignee: Hangzhou Honghua Digital Technology Stock Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hangzhou Honghua Digital Technology Stock Co Ltd
Priority date: 2023-12-07
Filing date: 2023-12-07
Publication date: 2026-03-13
Anticipated expiration: 2043-12-07
Also published as: CN117621652A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a spray coating device and a spray printing system. The spraying device comprises a single needle assembly, a single needle mounting assembly and an air flow guiding unit, wherein the single needle assembly comprises a needle and an actuating device, the actuating device is configured to generate mechanical vibration under the excitation of a received driving signal so as to enable target liquid in the needle to be dispersed into mist liquid drops and output the needle, the single needle mounting assembly is used for fixing the single needle assembly and the air flow guiding unit, the air flow guiding unit comprises an air inlet and an air outlet, the position of the air outlet is matched with that of the needle, and the air flow guiding unit is configured to output air flow through the air outlet so as to guide the mist liquid drops to the surface of a substrate. The invention can realize uniform atomization effect of the target liquid, controllable droplet size distribution and accurate application of trace controllable liquid to the target object.

Description

Spraying device and spraying printing system

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to digital spray printing and, in particular, to spray coating devices and spray printing systems.

Background

Conventional inkjet printing schemes are classified into solid inkjet and liquid inkjet according to the operating principle. In conventional liquid ink jet schemes, such as thermal bubble jet technology, the basic principle is to cause the ink to bubble and jet onto the substrate by heating the nozzle. However, in the conventional liquid ink jet method, there are disadvantages such as uneven atomization effect, uncontrollable droplet size distribution, and liquid waste.

In summary, conventional liquid spray schemes suffer from the disadvantages of uneven atomization, uncontrollable droplet size distribution, and wasteful target liquid.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a spraying device and a spraying system, which can realize uniform atomization effect of target liquid, controllable droplet size distribution and accurate application of trace controllable liquid to a target object.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a spray coating device comprising a single needle assembly comprising a needle and an actuator arranged to generate mechanical vibrations upon actuation of a received drive signal so as to cause a target liquid in the needle to be dispersed into mist droplets and output the needle, a single needle mounting assembly for securing the single needle assembly and an air flow directing unit, and the air flow directing unit comprising an air inlet and an air outlet, the air outlet being positioned to accommodate one needle, the air flow directing unit being arranged to output an air flow via the air outlet so as to direct the mist droplets to a surface of a substrate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a spray coating system comprising a spray coating device according to the first aspect of the present invention, a spray coating device moving means for moving the spray coating device, and a spray coating device adapter block for securing a single needle mounting assembly of the spray coating device to the spray coating device moving means.

In some embodiments, the single needle mounting assembly includes a main body portion for securing the single needle assembly, a needle mounting portion for securing a needle of the single needle assembly, the needle mounting portion being located at a lower portion of the main body portion, and a side extension portion, the side extension portion being provided with a coupling portion, the side extension portion defining a space with an inner wall of the main body portion for securing at least an actuation device of the single needle assembly.

In some embodiments, the single needle mounting assembly further includes an electrode contact portion having one end coupled to the coupling portion of the side extension portion and the other end electrically contacted to the first side of the actuating device, and an insulating fixing block fixed to the main body portion, a conductive member passing through a middle portion of the insulating fixing block, one end of the conductive member electrically contacted to the second side of the actuating device, the other end of the conductive member electrically contacted to the positive electrode of the driving signal, the negative electrode of the driving signal being connected to the main body portion of the single needle mounting assembly, the main body portion, the side extension portion, and the needle mounting portion being integrally made of a conductive metal. .

In some embodiments, the coupling portion of the side extension is a slot disposed in a middle portion of the side extension, and the second side of the actuator is configured with a piezoelectric element.

In some embodiments, the airflow guiding unit further includes an air inlet pipe configured to be fixed to an upper portion of the main body portion, one end of the air inlet pipe being an air inlet, and a detachable air knife head detachably coupled to the other end of the air inlet pipe, the detachable air knife head including an air outlet.

In some embodiments, the removable wind blade further includes an air cavity defined by a peripheral wall of the removable wind blade and an end cover plate extending longitudinally of the air cavity, the end cover plate being disposed at one end of the peripheral wall, the air outlet being a circular opening at a center of the end cover plate, and a guide integrally formed with the end cover plate, the guide including a longitudinal extension and a radial extension, the longitudinal extension including a first guide surface, the radial extension including a second guide surface and a third guide surface, the first guide surface and the second guide surface abutting and making an obtuse angle, the second guide surface and the third guide surface abutting and making an obtuse angle.

In some embodiments, the detachable wind blade further includes an air cavity defined by a first air cavity outer wall extending longitudinally of the air cavity and a second air cavity outer wall having a curved portion, an end cover of the second air cavity outer wall being parallel to the substrate, the air outlet being a linear slot provided in the end cover, an inner surface of the curved portion of the second air cavity outer wall being for directing air flow within the air cavity to the linear slot.

In some embodiments, the airflow directing unit further includes an air inlet duct securing plate including angled first and second faces, the first face being disposed between the air inlet duct and the removable air knife head, the second face being secured to the upper surface of the main body portion.

In some embodiments, the spray coating device further includes a positive terminal coupled with the conductive member penetrating the middle of the insulating fixing block for electrically connecting the positive electrode of the driving signal to the conductive member, and a negative terminal coupled with the electrical coupling member of the body portion for electrically connecting the negative electrode of the driving signal to the body portion.

In some embodiments, the spray coating device further includes a drive signal generating unit configured to adjust the frequency and duty cycle of the output drive signal based on the received different spray demand instructions so as to adjust the size and output speed of the atomized droplets, the drive signal generating unit being provided separately from the single needle assembly and the single needle mounting assembly and electrically connecting the positive and negative poles of the drive signal to the positive and negative pole terminals of the main body portion, respectively, via wires.

In some embodiments, the driving signal generating unit includes an overheat protection unit and an overcurrent protection unit.

In some embodiments, the over-current protection unit includes at least a first switching device and a second switching device, and is configured to turn on the second switching device and turn off the first switching device when the load current is less than a predetermined current threshold, and turn on the first switching device and turn off the second switching device when the load current is greater than or equal to the predetermined current threshold, thereby turning off the driving signal output by the driving signal generation unit or making the driving signal output by the driving signal generation unit be at a low level.

In some embodiments, the spray coating device is configured to adjust the speed of the input air flow at the air inlet of the air flow directing unit based on the received control instructions, thereby changing the speed of the air flow at the air outlet of the air flow directing unit in order to adjust the output speed, flight path and distribution of the atomized droplets.

In some embodiments, the drive signal generation unit is further configured to determine whether rotational speed detection data of the motor is detected, the motor being for driving movement of the substrate, determine a frequency of the drive signal based on the predetermined dotting frequency in response to determining that rotational speed detection data of the motor is not detected, calculate a movement distance of the substrate based on the rotational speed detection data in response to determining that rotational speed detection data of the motor is detected, and determine the frequency of the drive signal based on the calculated movement distance of the substrate and the predetermined dotting density.

In some embodiments, the spray device is used to perform any of functional polymer printing on a substrate, spray printing a logo on a wafer, applying an adhesive on a substrate, applying a lubricant on a substrate, dispensing a liquid, a liquid being a biologic, blood, chemical, or cell-bearing liquid, performing three-dimensional structure building on a substrate, and forming microcontacts by printing on a substrate.

The summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the invention, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the invention.

Drawings

Fig. 1A illustrates a schematic diagram of a side elevation of a spray coating device according to some embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 1B illustrates a schematic diagram of a side rear view of a spray coating device according to some embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 2 illustrates a schematic view of a detachable wind blade head according to some embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3A illustrates a schematic view of a beveled side view of a detachable wind blade head in accordance with further embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 3B illustrates a schematic diagram of the front view of a detachable wind blade head according to further embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3C illustrates a schematic view of a wind field area formed on a substrate surface by a removable wind blade according to the present invention.

Fig. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a spray coating system according to some embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 5 illustrates a flow chart of a method for generating a drive signal according to some embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 6 schematically shows a block diagram of an electronic device suitable for implementing embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 7 illustrates a circuit diagram of an overcurrent protection unit according to some embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 8 illustrates a circuit diagram of an overheat protection unit according to some embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 9 illustrates a schematic diagram of a drive signal generation unit according to some embodiments of the invention.

Like or corresponding reference characters indicate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While the preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the drawings, it should be understood that the present invention may be embodied in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

The term "comprising" and variations thereof as used herein means open ended, i.e., "including but not limited to. The term "or" means "and/or" unless specifically stated otherwise. The term "based on" means "based at least in part on". The terms "one example embodiment" and "one embodiment" mean "at least one example embodiment. The term "another embodiment" means "at least one additional embodiment". The terms "first," "second," and the like, may refer to different or the same object.

As described above, the conventional liquid spray scheme suffers from disadvantages of uneven atomization effect, uncontrollable droplet size distribution, and wasteful target liquid.

To at least partially solve one or more of the above problems and other potential problems, exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a spray coating device that includes a single needle assembly, a single needle mounting assembly, and an airflow guiding unit, each of which is composed of a single needle and a single actuating device, and causes the actuating device to mechanically vibrate under the excitation of a received driving signal so as to cause a target liquid in the needle to be dispersed into mist droplets and output the needle, wherein the single needle generates mechanical vibration of a corresponding frequency when excited by a high-frequency electric signal, and generates a standing wave in the needle tube so that the target liquid therein resonates at the tip of the needle and is dispersed into minute suspended mist droplets, thereby making the mist droplets more uniform and the droplet size controlled by the driving signal. In addition, the position of the air outlet of the air flow guiding unit is matched with that of one spray needle, and the air outlet outputs air flow to guide the mist liquid drops to the surface of the substrate. Therefore, the invention can realize uniform atomization effect of the target liquid, controllable droplet size distribution and remarkably save the target liquid. Furthermore, by adopting the single needle installation component to fix the single needle component and the air flow guiding unit suitable for the single needle component, the spraying device has smaller volume and simpler structure, and can remarkably reduce the manufacturing cost and the maintenance cost of the spraying device.

Fig. 1A illustrates a schematic diagram of a side elevation of a spray coating device 100 according to some embodiments of the invention. Fig. 1B illustrates a schematic diagram of a side rear view of a spray coating device 100 according to some embodiments of the invention. The spray coating device 100 includes at least a single needle assembly, a single needle mounting assembly, and an airflow directing unit. The single needle assembly includes a needle 106 and an actuator 104. Wherein the actuation means 104 is configured to generate a mechanical vibration under excitation of the received drive signal so as to cause the target liquid in the needle 106 to be dispersed into mist droplets and output. In some embodiments, the actuation device is a metal plate (e.g., without limitation, a polygonal metal plate) configured with piezoelectric elements, e.g., a first side of the actuation device is metal and a second side of the actuation device is configured with piezoelectric elements, with the needle 106 disposed at an edge of the metal plate. The single needle mounting assembly is at least for securing the single needle assembly and the airflow directing unit. The airflow guiding unit is used for outputting airflow through the air outlet 116 so as to guide atomized liquid drops to the surface of the substrate. The airflow directing unit includes at least an air inlet 124 and an air outlet 116. It will be appreciated that the gas flow generated by the gas flow directing unit directs the atomized droplets towards the substrate surface so that the directing action of the gas flow is used to cause the atomized droplets to form a uniform coating on the substrate surface. By adopting the means, the invention can realize uniform atomization effect of the target liquid, controllable droplet size distribution and improved spraying accuracy. It should be appreciated that the spray coating device 100 also includes a drive signal generating unit, an air flow generating device, and a liquid supply device (not shown in fig. 1A and 1B).

Regarding the driving signal generation unit, it is used for outputting the driving signal. The drive signal generation unit is provided separately from the single needle assembly and the single needle mounting assembly, and electrically connects the positive and negative poles of the drive signal to the positive and negative pole terminals, respectively, of the main body portion of the single needle mounting assembly via wires. The driving signal is, for example, a high-frequency electric signal. A high frequency electrical signal is applied, for example, to a piezoelectric element included in the actuator 104 in a single needle assembly, producing a corresponding frequency of mechanical vibrations, and standing waves at the needle, causing the target liquid material to resonate at the needle tip and be dispersed as tiny, suspended, atomized droplets. The atomized liquid drops are guided to the surface of the base material under the guiding action of the air flow output by the air flow guiding unit so as to form a uniform coating. In some embodiments, the drive signal generation unit determines the frequency of the drive signal based on actively or receiving rotational speed detection data (e.g., encoder signals) of the motor for driving the substrate. The drive signal is for example a pulse between 0-1MHz and the voltage, frequency, duty cycle of the pulse is adjustable. In some embodiments, the drive signal generation unit is configured to adjust the frequency and duty cycle of the output drive electrical signal based on the received different spray demand instructions in order to adjust the size and output speed of the atomized droplets. By adopting the means, the invention can better control the spraying process.

In some embodiments, the driving signal generating unit includes an overheat protection unit and an overcurrent protection unit. By adopting the means, the invention can obviously increase the stability and safety of the spraying device.

With respect to liquid supply means for supplying a target liquid to a needle of a single needle assembly. The liquid supply device comprises a liquid supply pipe, a miniature constant flow pump and a liquid storage bottle. The miniature constant flow pump is used for extracting target liquid to be atomized from a liquid storage bottle and conveying the target liquid to a spray needle in the single needle assembly through a liquid supply pipe. As regards micro constant flow pumps, this is for example a more stable gear pump or a pump column. By adopting the means, the flow of the spraying device can be accurately controlled and no liquid pulsation exists, so that the stability and the continuity of target liquid supply are ensured. In some embodiments, the reservoir holds a quantity of liquid, for example 10ml. The whole single needle assembly can be independently packaged, and can be thrown after single spraying. Therefore, the spraying device can be used for quantitative liquid feeding micro-spraying in the industries of medical treatment and the like.

With respect to the single needle mounting assembly, it includes, for example, a main body portion 102, a needle mounting portion 128, and a side extension 132. In some embodiments, the single needle mounting assembly further includes an electrode contact (not shown in FIG. 1A), an insulating fixture block 108, a positive terminal 120, a negative terminal 122.

With respect to the body portion 102, it is used to secure a single needle assembly.

With respect to the needle mount 128, it is used to secure the needle 106 of the single needle assembly. The needle mounting portion is located at a lower portion of the main body portion. For example, the needle mounting portion 128 extends from a lower portion of the body portion 102. In some embodiments, the needle mount 128 is provided with a needle mount channel 130 for limiting needle position, and the needle 106 passes through the needle mount channel 130. In some embodiments, the needle mounting channel 130 is configured at a predetermined tilt angle with respect to the horizontal, whereby the direction of extension of the needle 106 may be made at a predetermined tilt angle with respect to the horizontal.

With respect to the needle 106, a liquid supply tube 126 is connected to the end thereof. The supply tube 126 is used to provide the target liquid from the micro constant flow pump and reservoir to the needle 106. It should be appreciated that the needle mount 128 and the needle 106 are insulated from each other.

With respect to the side extension 132, the space defined by it and the inner wall of the body portion 102 is used to secure at least the actuation means 104 of the single needle assembly. In some embodiments, the space defined by the side extension 132 and the inner wall of the body portion 102 is used to sequentially secure the stacked electrode contact, the actuation device 104 of the single needle assembly, and the insulating securing block 108. The side extension 132 is provided with a coupling portion. In some embodiments, the coupling portion of the side extension is a slot 133 disposed in the middle of the side extension, as shown in fig. 1B. The coupling portion of the side extension portion is configured as a slot 133, which facilitates easy installation and removal of the electrode contact portion and the actuating device 104.

With respect to the electrode contact, one end thereof is coupled with the coupling portion of the side extension, and the other end of the electrode contact is in electrical contact with the first side of the actuator.

The insulating fixing block 108 is fixed to the main body 102. For example, as shown in fig. 1A, an insulating fixing block 108 is mounted on a first surface of the main body portion 102 (i.e., an inner wall of the main body portion 102) with a mounting bolt 107. The insulating fixing block 108 serves to insulate the side (i.e., the second side) of the actuator 104 on which the piezoelectric element 103 is provided from the main body 102. A conductive member is penetrated through the middle of the insulating fixing block 108, one end of the conductive member is electrically contacted with the second side (i.e., the side where the piezoelectric unit 103 is disposed) of the actuating device 104, and the other end of the conductive member is electrically contacted with the positive electrode of the driving signal, whereby the positive electrode of the driving signal is applied to the piezoelectric element 103 of the actuating device through the conductive member. In some embodiments, the negative pole of the drive signal is connected to the body portion 102 of the single needle mounting assembly. The body portion 102 is made of conductive metal. Since the coupling portion of the side extension 132 is coupled with one end of the electrode contact portion and the other end of the electrode contact portion is in electrical contact with the first side (i.e., the metal side) of the actuation device 104, it is achieved that the negative pole of the drive signal is applied to the first side of the actuation device.

Regarding the positive electrode terminal 120, it is coupled with a conductive member penetrating through the middle of the insulating fixing block, for electrically connecting the positive electrode of the driving signal to the conductive member, and further electrically connecting the positive electrode of the driving signal to the piezoelectric unit 103 of the actuating device 104 via the conductive member. Regarding the negative terminal 122, it is coupled with an electrical coupling of the main body portion for electrically connecting the negative electrode of the driving signal to the main body portion.

As regards the air flow guiding unit, it comprises, for example, an air inlet duct 110, a removable air knife head. The detachable wind blade includes an air cavity, an air outlet 116, and a guide. The air inlet pipe 110 is configured to be fixed at an upper portion of the main body, one end of the air inlet pipe 110 is an air inlet 124, and the other end of the air inlet pipe 110 is detachably coupled with the detachable air knife head 114 to form an air flow guiding unit. It should be appreciated that the removable coupling between the air inlet duct 110 and the air knife head allows the present invention to easily replace the matched air knife head according to the painting task. In some embodiments, the air inlet duct 110 is threadably coupled to the removable air knife head. The air inlet pipe 110 and the detachable air knife head are coupled in a threaded mode, so that the detachable air chamber air tightness can be guaranteed while the detachable air knife head is considered. In some embodiments, an air inlet duct securing plate 118 is also provided between the air inlet duct 110 and the detachable air knife head 114.

Regarding the air inlet duct fixing plate 118, it is used to fix the air flow guiding unit to the main body part 102. The air inlet duct securing plate 118 includes angled (e.g., without limitation, 90 degrees) first and second faces 118-1, 118-2, the first face 118-1 being disposed between the air inlet duct and the removable air knife head, the second face 118-2 being secured to the upper surface of the main body portion 102. For example, as shown in fig. 1B, the second surface 118-2 is fixed to the upper surface of the main body 102 by bolts 119.

It will be appreciated that by the optimized design of the single needle assembly, air flow directing unit and single needle mounting assembly described above, not only is the performance of the device improved, but the operational and maintenance costs for the user are also significantly reduced.

Fig. 2 illustrates a schematic view of a detachable wind blade head according to some embodiments of the invention. The detachable wind blade 114 includes an air cavity, an air outlet 116, and a guide.

With respect to the air chamber of the detachable wind blade 114, it is defined, for example, by a first air chamber outer wall 112 extending in the longitudinal direction of the air chamber and a second air chamber outer wall 113 having a bent portion.

With respect to the first plenum outer wall 112, its outer contour is configured as a polygonal cylinder. It will be appreciated that the above-described polygonal cylindrical outer profile facilitates convenient removal of the removable air knife. The inner wall of the first air chamber outer wall 112 is used to define a first portion of the air chamber. The inner wall of the first air chamber outer wall 112 is provided with a coupling structure, such as, but not limited to, a screw thread, at an end near the air inlet duct 110.

With respect to the second air chamber outer wall 113, it has a longitudinally extending portion 113-1 and a radially extending portion 113-2. The end cover plate 115 of the radially extending portion 113-2 is parallel to the substrate (not shown), and the air outlet 116 is a linear slit 116 provided on the end cover plate 115. The inner wall of the second air cavity outer wall 113 is used to define a second portion of the air cavity. The inner surface of the bent portion of the second air chamber outer wall 113 (i.e., the intersection of the longitudinally extending portion 113-1 and the radially extending portion 113-2) serves to guide the air flow within the air chamber from the longitudinal direction to the linear slit 116 and out of the linear slit 116.

FIG. 3A illustrates a schematic view of a beveled side view of a detachable wind blade head in accordance with further embodiments of the present invention. Fig. 3B illustrates a schematic diagram of the front view of a detachable wind blade head according to further embodiments of the present invention. The detachable air knife head 214 includes an air cavity, an air outlet 216 and a guide 211.

With respect to the air cavity of the detachable wind blade 214, it is defined, for example, by a first air cavity outer wall 212 and an end cover 216 extending in the longitudinal direction of the air cavity. The first plenum outer wall 212 is configured, for example, as a cylinder or multi-faceted bucket. An end cap plate 215 is disposed at one end of the first plenum outer wall 212. The air outlet 216 is a circular opening in the center of the end cover plate 215.

Regarding the guide portion 211, which is integrally formed with the end cover plate 215, for example, the guide portion 211 includes a longitudinal extension 211-1 and a radial extension 211-2. As shown in fig. 3B, the longitudinally extending portion 211-1 includes a first guide surface 202. The radial extension 211-2 includes a second guide surface 204 and a third guide surface 206, the first guide surface 202 and the second guide surface 204 abutting and making an obtuse angle, and the second guide surface 204 and the third guide surface 206 abutting and making an obtuse angle. The first guide surface 202 is configured perpendicular to the end cover plate 215 and tangential to the edge of the air outlet 216.

FIG. 3C illustrates a schematic view of a wind field area formed on a substrate surface by a removable wind blade 214 according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3C, the area of the surface of the substrate 222 that is exposed to the airflow from the detachable wind blade 214 is indicated by reference numeral 220.

It should be appreciated that the shape and airflow rate of the outlet of the detachable wind blade 214 may affect the flight path and distribution of the mist droplets output by the needle. Therefore, the size and distribution density of the droplets can be changed by changing the shape of the air outlet and the air flow rate of the air inlet of the detachable air knife head 214, thereby meeting different spraying demands.

Fig. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a spray coating system 230 according to some embodiments of the invention. The spray coating system 230 includes a spray coating device moving device 234, the spray coating device 100, and a spray coating device adapter block 232. Indicated by reference numeral 236 is an enlarged view of the end of the spray device displacement device 234.

With respect to the spraying device moving means 234, it is used to move the position of the spraying device 100. In some embodiments, the spray device moving device 324 is a robotic arm, such as a six axis motion robotic arm as shown in fig. 4. The six-axis motion robot is provided on the mounting substrate 238, for example. It should be appreciated that the six axis motion robot arm may move the position based on the command received from the control device to move the spray device 100 with the end secured to the spray position or spray along a predetermined trajectory. It should be appreciated that by controlling the movement of the spray device movement device 234 and thus precisely controlling the position or trajectory of the movement of the spray device 100, the present invention enables precise micro-spray control.

With respect to the spray device adapter block 232, it is used to secure the single needle mounting assembly to the end of the spray device moving device 234. For example, the spray device adapter block 232 is secured with the body portion 102 of the single needle mounting assembly, thereby securing the single needle mounting assembly to the spray device moving device 234. As shown in fig. 4, the spray device adapter block 232 has a passage path of the liquid supply pipe 126, through which the liquid supply pipe 126 communicating with the needle extends from a side wall of the spray device adapter block 234. Other parts of the liquid supply pipe 126, wires connecting the positive terminal 120 and the negative terminal 122, and an air supply pipe coupled to the air inlet pipe 110 are not shown in fig. 4. It should be appreciated that the above-described lines may extend along the six-axis motion robot and be supported at the joints of the six-axis motion robot.

In some embodiments, the target liquid is, for example, a biomaterial ink composed of a polymer or precursor of a hydrogel that includes a biological factor. The spray system may be used, for example, for biological agent spraying. In some embodiments, the liquid of interest is, for example, a binder, a functional polymer, a lubricant, a biologic, a three-dimensional structured liquid material, or an electrical conductor solution, among others. Accordingly, the spray coating system may be used for any of functional polymer printing, spray printing indicia on wafers, applying adhesives, applying lubricants, liquid dispensing (liquids such as, but not limited to, biological agents, blood, chemical agents, or liquids with cells), three-dimensional structure building, and forming microcontacts by printing. It should be appreciated that the spray device of the present invention is suitable for a variety of situations with high spray requirements due to the significant spray precision. Such as medical devices, hydrogen fuel cells, solar cell coatings, antimicrobial coatings, float and flat glass, electronics, nanotechnology, ultrasonic spray pyrolysis, bioaerosol spray, and the like.

Fig. 5 illustrates a flow chart of a method 500 for generating a drive signal according to some embodiments of the invention. It should be appreciated that the method 500 may be performed, for example, at the electronic device 600 depicted in fig. 6. Or may be performed at the driving signal generating unit. It should be appreciated that method 500 may also include additional actions not shown and/or may omit actions shown, the scope of the invention being not limited in this respect.

In step 502, the drive signal generation unit determines whether rotational speed detection data of the motor is detected. The motor is used for driving the substrate to be sprayed to move.

In step 504, if the driving signal generating unit determines that the rotation speed detection data of the motor is not detected, the frequency of the driving signal is determined based on the predetermined dotting frequency.

For example, if the drive signal generation unit determines that the rotation speed detection data of the motor is not detected, it determines that the frequency of the drive signal is 1000 pulses per second.

In step 506, if the driving signal generating unit determines that the rotational speed detection data of the motor is detected, the moving distance of the base material is calculated based on the rotational speed detection data.

In step 508, the driving signal generating unit determines the frequency of the driving signal based on the calculated moving distance of the substrate and the predetermined dotting density.

For example, the driving signal generating unit acquires rotation speed detection data of a motor for driving the movement of the substrate, calculates a moving distance of the substrate based on the rotation speed detection data of the motor, and determines a frequency of the driving signal based on the calculated moving distance of the substrate and a predetermined dotting density. Specifically, for example, the rotation speed detection data of the motor is an encoder signal. The movement distance of the base material corresponding to one turn of the encoder is 5mm, and the corresponding driving signal is 10000 pulses. If the calculated distance of movement of the substrate based on the current encoder signal is 1mm, the corresponding drive signal is 2000 pulses.

By adopting the means, the invention can automatically change different spraying modes according to whether the rotation speed detection data of the motor for driving the movement of the base material exist or not, and can adaptively adjust the number of spraying points according to the speed change under the condition that the rotation speed detection data of the motor exist, thereby ensuring that the spraying effect is more uniform and stable.

Fig. 7 illustrates a circuit diagram of an over-current protection unit 700 according to some embodiments of the invention. As shown in fig. 7, the overcurrent protection unit 700 includes at least a first switching device Q1 and a second switching device Q2. In some embodiments, the overcurrent protection unit 700 is configured to turn on the second switching device Q2 and turn off the first switching device Q1 when the load current is less than a predetermined current threshold, and turn on the first switching device Q1 and turn off the second switching device Q2 when the load current is greater than or equal to the predetermined current threshold, thereby turning off the driving signal output by the driving signal generation unit or making the driving signal output by the driving signal generation unit be at a low level.

Specifically, the overcurrent protection unit 700 includes a first power supply terminal VCC, a second power supply terminal 710, a LOAD terminal (e.g., LOAD), a current indicating branch 720, a first switching device Q1, a second switching device Q2, a first resistor R1, a third resistor R3, a fourth resistor R4, a fifth resistor R5, and a sixth resistor R6. It should be appreciated that the first and second switching devices Q1, Q2 are, for example, transistors, the illustrated embodiment is merely exemplary, and the first and second switching devices Q1, Q2 may be other suitable types of devices, such as p-MOS transistors, MOSFETs, n-MOS transistors, and the like.

Regarding the current indication branch 720, it is configured to provide a current indication. It includes a second resistor R2, a light emitting diode. The first end of the second resistor R2 is connected to the first power end VCC, the second end of the second resistor R2 is connected with one end of the light emitting diode, and the other end of the light emitting diode is grounded.

As shown in fig. 7, a first terminal of the first resistor R1 is connected to the first power supply terminal VCC. The second terminal of the first resistor R1 is connected to a first terminal of a second switching device Q2 (e.g. the base of a second transistor). A second terminal of the second switching device Q2 (e.g., a collector of the second transistor) is connected to a load terminal of the overcurrent protection unit 700. A third terminal of the second switching device Q2 (e.g., an emitter of the third transistor) is connected to a first terminal of the fourth resistor R4. It should be appreciated that the voltage value of the second terminal of the first resistor R1 determines the on and off states of the second switching device Q2.

A second terminal of the first switching device Q1 (e.g., a collector of the first transistor) is connected to a second terminal of the first resistor R1. A first terminal of the first switching device Q1 (e.g., the base of the first transistor) is connected to a first terminal of the sixth resistor R6 and a second terminal of the third resistor R3. The second terminal of the fourth resistor R4 is connected to a third terminal of the first switching device Q1 (e.g., an emitter of the first transistor) and to ground. The first terminal of the third resistor R3 is connected to the second power terminal 710 (the second power terminal 710 provides, for example, a voltage of 5V). It should be appreciated that the voltage value of the second end of the third resistor R3 determines the on and off states of the first switching device Q1. As shown in fig. 7, the third resistor R3, the sixth resistor R6, and the fourth resistor R4 are sequentially connected in series. The resistance value of the third resistor R3 is configured to be significantly higher than the resistance values of the sixth resistor R6 and the fourth resistor R4. For example, the third resistance R3 is, for example and without limitation, 5.1k ohms. The sixth resistor R3 is for example, but not limited to, 330 ohms. The fourth resistor R4 is for example, but not limited to, 10 ohms.

It will be appreciated that when the current through the load terminal is small, the voltage at the first terminal of the fourth resistor R4 is low. Based on the resistance values of the fourth resistor R4, the sixth resistor R6, and the third resistor R3, and the voltage division principle, it is known that the voltage at the second end of the third resistor R3 is also low, and thus the first switching device Q1 is turned off. When the current flowing through the load terminal increases, the voltage of the first terminal of the fourth resistor R4 increases. Accordingly, the voltage at the second end of the third resistor R3 increases. When the voltage at the second end of the third resistor R3 exceeds a certain value, the first switching device Q1 is turned on. The second terminal of the first resistor R1 is grounded through the turned-on first switching device Q1, and thus, the voltage of the second terminal of the first resistor R1 is reduced, so that the second switching device Q2 is turned off, thereby turning off the driving signal output from the driving signal generating unit, or making the driving signal output from the driving signal generating unit be at a low level.

Fig. 8 illustrates a circuit diagram of an overheat protection unit 800 according to some embodiments of the present invention. The overheat protection unit 800 includes a power supply terminal VCC, a LOAD terminal (e.g., LOAD), a temperature control chip 810, and third and seventh switching devices Q3 and R7. The power supply terminal VCC of the overheat protection unit 800 provides a voltage of 3.3V, for example.

Regarding the temperature control chip 810, it is equipped to make the output of the signal output terminal 814 low level when the detected temperature is higher than the set temperature threshold. The temperature control chip 810 includes, for example and without limitation, five pins. The fourth pin is, for example, a power supply input, the first pin and the second pin are, for example, used for grounding. The fifth pin is, for example, the signal output 814. The third pin is, for example, temperature threshold control terminal 812.

Regarding the temperature threshold control terminal 812, it is configured to control the magnitude of the set temperature threshold according to the inputted voltage, for example, the lower the voltage inputted by the temperature threshold control terminal is, the higher the set temperature threshold is. It should be appreciated that different set temperature thresholds may be determined by adjusting the input voltage at the temperature threshold control terminal. As shown in fig. 8, the temperature threshold control terminal 812 is grounded such that the corresponding set temperature threshold is high.

Regarding the signal output terminal 814, it is configured to supply a voltage for turning on the third switching device Q3, for example. As shown in fig. 8, the signal output terminal 814 is connected to one end of the seventh resistor R7. The other end of the seventh resistor R7 is connected to a first end of the third switching device Q3 (e.g., the base of the third transistor). A second terminal of the third switching device Q3 (e.g., a collector of the third transistor) is connected to a load terminal of the overheat protection unit 800. A third terminal (e.g., an emitter of a transistor) of the third switching device Q3 is grounded. It should be understood that if the detected temperature is higher than the set temperature threshold, the output of the signal output terminal is at a low level, the third switching device Q3 is turned off, thereby turning off the driving signal output from the driving signal generating unit, or making the driving signal output from the driving signal generating unit at a low level. If the detected temperature is lower than the set temperature threshold, the output of the signal output terminal is at a high level, and the third switching device Q3 is turned on. Fig. 9 illustrates a schematic diagram of a drive signal generation unit 900 according to some embodiments of the invention. As shown in fig. 9, the driving signal generating unit 900 includes an overcurrent protection unit and an overheat protection unit 940 (which includes, for example, the overcurrent protection unit 700 shown in fig. 7 and the overheat protection unit 800 shown in fig. 8), a driving signal generating chip 910, and a plurality of inductors.

Regarding the driving signal generating chip 910, it is used to generate a driving signal for controlling the single needle assembly. In some embodiments, the drive signal generation chip 910 is, for example and without limitation, an MS8844. The serial numbers of the individual pins of the drive signal generation chip 910 are exemplarily shown in fig. 9. The drive signal generation chip 910 may output, for example and without limitation, 4 drive signals (e.g., output signals corresponding to the OUT1 pin through the OUT4 pin, respectively, in fig. 9) for controlling 4 single-needle components (e.g., as indicated by the marks 930-1, 930-2, 930-3, 930-4, respectively, in fig. 9). Each output of the drive signal generation chip 910 is provided to the positive terminal of the corresponding single needle assembly via an inductance (e.g., indicated by references 920-1, 920-2, 920-3, 920-4 in fig. 9). The negative terminals of the individual single needle assemblies (e.g., as indicated by the labels 930-1, 930-2, 930-3, 930-4 in fig. 9) are connected, for example, to an overcurrent protection unit and an overheat protection unit 940. The anodes of the drive signal generation chip 910 (e.g., corresponding to the VM pins in FIG. 9, respectively) are connected to, for example, 5-36V voltages. It should be understood that if the overcurrent protection unit and the overheat protection unit 940 detect an overcurrent when the load current is greater than or equal to the predetermined current threshold, or the detected temperature is higher than the set temperature threshold, the overcurrent protection unit and the overheat protection unit 940 are correspondingly disconnected, the negative terminals of the respective single needle assemblies cannot be normally grounded, and at this time, the respective single needle assemblies cannot be driven.

In some embodiments, the method 500 further includes controlling the movement device 234 to raise or lower the height of the end of the spray device movement device 234 from the substrate in order to raise or lower the position of the airflow directing unit, thereby changing the flight path of the mist droplets and the landing point on the substrate.

In some embodiments, the method 500 further includes controlling the wind speed of the air inlet of the air flow directing unit to adjust the flight speed and dispersion of the atomized droplets. For example, increasing the wind speed at the air inlet of the airflow directing unit allows for faster adjustment of the flight speed and higher dispersion of the atomized droplets, thereby forming a thinner coating on the substrate. The air speed of the air inlet of the air flow guiding unit is reduced, so that the flying speed of the atomized liquid drops is adjusted to be slower and the dispersion degree is lower, and a denser coating is formed on the substrate.

Fig. 6 schematically shows a block diagram of an electronic device 300 suitable for use in implementing embodiments of the invention. The electronic device 600 may be for implementing the method 500 shown in fig. 2. As shown in fig. 6, the electronic device 600 includes a central processing unit (i.e., CPU 601) that can perform various suitable actions and processes according to computer program instructions stored in a read-only memory (i.e., ROM 602) or computer program instructions loaded from a storage unit 608 into a random access memory (i.e., RAM 603). In the RAM 603, various programs and data required for the operation of the electronic device 600 can also be stored. The CPU 601, ROM 602, and RAM 603 are connected to each other through a bus 604. An input/output interface (i.e., I/O interface 605) is also connected to bus 604.

Various components in the electronic device 600 are connected to the I/O interface 605, including an input unit 606, an output unit 607, a storage unit 608, and a cpu 601 performing the various methods and processes described above, such as performing the method 500. For example, in some embodiments, the method 200 may be implemented as a computer software program stored on a machine-readable medium, such as the storage unit 608. In some embodiments, part or all of the computer program may be loaded and/or installed onto the electronic device 600 via the ROM 602 and/or the communication unit 609. One or more of the operations of the method 200 described above may be performed when a computer program is loaded into RAM 603 and executed by CPU 601. Alternatively, in other embodiments, CPU 601 may be configured to perform one or more actions of method 200 in any other suitable manner (e.g., by means of firmware).

It should be further appreciated that the present invention can be a method, apparatus, system, and/or computer program product. The computer program product may include a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program instructions embodied thereon for performing various aspects of the present invention.

The computer readable storage medium may be a tangible device that can hold and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable storage medium include a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), a Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanical encoding device, punch cards or intra-groove protrusion structures such as those having instructions stored thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Computer-readable storage media, as used herein, are not to be construed as transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through waveguides or other transmission media (e.g., optical pulses through fiber optic cables), or electrical signals transmitted through wires.

The computer readable program instructions described herein may be downloaded from a computer readable storage medium to a respective computing/processing device or to an external computer or external storage device over a network, such as the internet, a local area network, a wide area network, and/or a wireless network. The network may include copper transmission cables, fiber optic transmissions, wireless transmissions, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. The network interface card or network interface in each computing/processing device receives computer readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium in the respective computing/processing device.

Computer program instructions for carrying out operations of the present invention may be assembly instructions, instruction Set Architecture (ISA) instructions, machine-related instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or source or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as SMALLTALK, C ++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The computer readable program instructions may be executed entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the case of a remote computer, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any kind of network, including a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN), or may be connected to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet service provider). In some embodiments, aspects of the present invention are implemented by personalizing electronic circuitry, such as programmable logic circuitry, field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), or Programmable Logic Arrays (PLAs), with state information for computer readable program instructions, which can execute the computer readable program instructions.

Various aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to a processor in a voice interaction device, a processing unit of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processing unit of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable medium having the instructions stored therein includes an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices implement the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of devices, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems which perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The foregoing description of embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the various embodiments described. The terminology used herein was chosen in order to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application, or the technical improvements in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

The above is only an alternative embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention, and various modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A spray coating device, comprising:

A single needle assembly comprising a needle and an actuation means configured to generate mechanical vibrations upon excitation of a received drive signal so as to cause a target liquid in the needle to be dispersed into mist droplets and output the needle;

a single needle mounting assembly for securing the single needle assembly and the airflow directing unit, and

And the air flow guiding unit comprises an air inlet and an air outlet, the position of the air outlet is matched with that of the spray needle, and the air flow guiding unit is configured to output air flow through the air outlet so as to guide the atomized liquid drops to the surface of the substrate.

2. The spray device of claim 1 wherein the single needle mounting assembly comprises:

A main body part for fixing the single needle assembly;

a needle mounting portion for fixing the needle of the single needle assembly, the needle mounting portion being located at a lower portion of the main body portion, and

And a side extension part, wherein the space defined by the side extension part and the inner wall of the main body part is used for fixing at least the actuating device of the single needle assembly, and the side extension part is provided with a coupling part.

3. The spray device of claim 2, wherein the single needle mounting assembly further comprises:

an electrode contact portion having one end coupled to the coupling portion of the side extension portion and the other end electrically contacting the first side of the actuator, and

The insulating fixed block is fixed in the main part, and the middle part of insulating fixed block has link up electrically conductive piece, electrically conductive piece's one end and actuating device second side electrical contact, electrically conductive piece's the other end and the anodal electrical contact of drive signal, drive signal's negative pole is connected to the main part of single needle installation component, main part, side extension and needle installation department are made by electrically conductive metal is integrative.

4. A spraying device as claimed in claim 3, in which the coupling portion of the side extension is a slot provided in the middle of the side extension, and the second side of the actuator is provided with a piezoelectric element.

5. The spraying device of claim 2, wherein the airflow directing unit further comprises:

an air inlet pipe arranged to be fixed to the upper portion of the main body portion, one end of the air inlet pipe being the air inlet, and

And the detachable air knife head is coupled with the other end of the air inlet pipe in a detachable mode, and the detachable air knife head comprises the air outlet.

6. The spray device of claim 5, wherein the detachable wind blade further comprises:

An air cavity defined by a peripheral wall of a detachable wind blade head extending in a longitudinal direction of the air cavity and an end cover plate provided at one end of the peripheral wall, the air outlet being a circular opening at a center of the end cover plate, and

The guide part is integrally formed with the end cover plate and comprises a longitudinal extension part and a radial extension part, the longitudinal extension part comprises a first guide surface, the radial extension part comprises a second guide surface and a third guide surface, the first guide surface and the second guide surface are adjacent and form an obtuse angle, and the second guide surface and the third guide surface are adjacent and form an obtuse angle.

7. The spray device of claim 5, wherein the detachable wind blade further comprises:

The air cavity is defined by a first air cavity outer wall extending along the longitudinal direction of the air cavity and a second air cavity outer wall with a bending part, an end cover plate of the second air cavity outer wall is parallel to the base material, the air outlet is a linear slit arranged on the end cover plate, and the inner surface of the bending part of the second air cavity outer wall is used for guiding air flow in the air cavity to the linear slit.

8. The spraying device of claim 2, wherein the airflow directing unit further comprises:

The air inlet pipe fixing plate comprises an angled first surface and a second surface, the first surface is arranged between the air inlet pipe and the detachable air knife head, and the second surface is fixed on the upper surface of the main body part.

9. The spray device of claim 3, further comprising:

A positive terminal coupled with the conductive member penetrating the middle of the insulating fixing block for electrically connecting the positive electrode of the driving signal to the conductive member, and

And a negative terminal coupled with the electric coupling member of the main body part for electrically connecting the negative electrode of the driving signal to the main body part.

10. The spray device of claim 9, further comprising:

And a driving signal generating unit configured to adjust the frequency and duty ratio of the outputted driving signal based on the received different spraying demand instructions so as to adjust the size and output speed of the atomized liquid droplets, the driving signal generating unit being provided separately from the single needle assembly and the single needle mounting assembly, and electrically connecting the positive and negative electrodes of the driving signal to the positive and negative electrode terminals of the main body portion via wires, respectively.

11. The spraying device of claim 10, wherein the driving signal generating unit includes an overheat protection unit and an overcurrent protection unit.

12. The spraying apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the overcurrent protection unit includes at least a first switching device and a second switching device, and is configured to turn on the second switching device and turn off the first switching device when the load current is less than a predetermined current threshold, and turn on the first switching device and turn off the second switching device when the load current is greater than or equal to the predetermined current threshold, thereby turning off the driving signal output by the driving signal generation unit or making the driving signal output by the driving signal generation unit be at a low level.

13. The spray device of claim 1, wherein the spray device is configured to:

The speed of the input air flow at the air inlet of the air flow guiding unit is adjusted based on the received control instruction, so that the speed of the air flow at the air outlet of the air flow guiding unit is changed, and the output speed, the flight path and the distribution of atomized liquid drops are adjusted.

14. The spraying device of claim 10, wherein the drive signal generation unit is further configured to:

determining whether rotational speed detection data of a motor is detected, wherein the motor is used for driving a base material to move;

Determining a frequency of the drive signal based on the predetermined dotting frequency in response to determining that rotational speed detection data of the motor is not detected;

calculating a moving distance of the base material based on the rotation speed detection data in response to determining that the rotation speed detection data of the motor is detected, and

The frequency of the driving signal is determined based on the calculated movement distance of the substrate and the predetermined dotting density.

15. The spraying device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is used for any one of the following:

Printing a functional polymer on a substrate;

spraying marks on the wafer;

applying a binder to a substrate;

Applying a lubricant to the substrate;

dispensing a liquid that is a biological, blood, chemical, or cell-bearing liquid;

three-dimensional structure construction on a substrate, and

The microcontacts are formed by printing on a substrate.

16. A spray coating system, comprising:

a spraying device according to any one of claims 1 to 15;

a spraying device moving device for driving the spraying device to move, and

A spray device adapter block for securing a single needle mounting assembly of a spray device to a spray device moving device.