CN218486667U - Vehicle body washing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The application discloses automobile body flushing device includes: a housing at least partially surrounding defining a hollow space and having an inlet side and an outlet side; a carrier mounted on an inner side of the housing facing the hollow space and controllable to move between the inlet side and the outlet side; a nozzle provided on the carrier, the nozzle being arranged to be able to selectively spray rinsing liquid towards the hollow space; the central control unit is in data connection with the carrying device and the nozzle so as to control the movement of the carrying device and/or the spraying of the nozzle according to a preset program; an input unit in data connection with the central control unit, the input unit comprising a control panel to manually control the movement of the carrier and/or the ejection of the nozzles. The application also discloses an adoption the processing line of the coating workshop of the automobile body flushing equipment.

Description

Vehicle body washing equipment

Technical Field

The present application relates generally to a vehicle body washing apparatus, and more particularly to a vehicle body washing apparatus employed in a non-phosphorus surface chemical treatment line in a full car paint shop.

Background

In automobile manufacturing, along with the idea of green environmental protection, the treatment process of replacing phosphorus-containing chemical by phosphorus-free chemical surface treatment agent becomes more and more mainstream in the white Body (BIW) chemical surface treatment production line of the whole automobile coating workshop.

Phosphorus-free chemical surface treatment of a body-in-white can generate a layer of nano-level zirconium salt deposit on the metal surface of the body, and is also called as zirconizing treatment or film treatment. This layer of nano-sized zirconium salt deposit may also be referred to as a nano-zirconated coating. After the nano-zirconium coating is generated on the surface of the body-in-white, the body-in-white enters an electrophoresis tank of a coating workshop for electrodeposition treatment (also called electrophoresis), so that an electrophoresis organic coating is generated on the body-in-white. Subsequently, the body-in-white must be subjected to a salt spray corrosion resistance test, depending on the manufacturing requirements.

In general, the body in white can be made of different sheet metal materials such as Al, HDG, CRS, EG, zinc magnesium aluminium sheet material, etc. The use of different sheet metal materials can result in variations in the overall vehicle manufacturing costs.

With respect to the above-described zirconation process, it has been found that salt spray corrosion resistance tests are generally not passed if the body-in-white is zirconated using relatively inexpensive CRS sheet stock. This requires that automobile manufacturers have to use body-in-white manufactured from relatively expensive Al, HDG, EG, zinc magnesium aluminium sheet materials and the like. In addition to cost considerations, CRS sheet materials have manufacturing advantages such as low post-maintenance cost and easy molding over Al, HDG, EG, zn-mg-Al sheet materials. Therefore, for a body-in-white manufactured by CRS plates, various additives or resins are generally added into a tank liquor for zirconium treatment, so as to ensure that the body-in-white can smoothly pass a salt spray corrosion resistance test to meet production and manufacturing requirements. However, in this case, after the body-in-white enters the tank liquid for the zirconation treatment, a large amount of foam floating in the tank liquid is liable to be present due to the movement of the body-in-white itself and/or the circulation stirring of the tank liquid. Therefore, after the body-in-white is removed from the bath, these foams are very likely to stick to corners of the body-in-white that are prone to contain liquids, such as the roof, wings, doors, rear covers, lamp holes, etc., resulting in the appearance of foam marks on the body-in-white. If these foam traces are not cleaned, the quality of the subsequent electrophoretic treatment will be seriously affected. Therefore, the manual screening and washing of each white car body processed in such a way needs to be carried out by increasing manpower in a workshop production line, which causes the problems that the labor intensity of workers is high, the white car body cannot be washed to meet the requirements of subsequent electrophoresis treatment, and the like.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In view of the above problems, the present application is directed to a vehicle body washing apparatus that enables convenient and easy installation in an existing workshop production line, thereby enabling accurate and convenient washing of a body-in-white between two sections where the body-in-white is processed.

According to an aspect of the present application, there is provided a vehicle body wash apparatus including:

a housing at least partially surrounding defining a hollow space and having an inlet side and an outlet side;

a carrier mounted on an inner side of the housing facing the hollow space and being controllable to move between the inlet side and the outlet side;

nozzles arranged on the carrier means, the nozzles being arranged to be able to selectively spray rinsing liquid towards the hollow space;

the central control unit is in data connection with the carrying device and the nozzle so as to control the movement of the carrying device and/or the spraying of the nozzle according to a preset program;

an input unit in data connection with the central control unit, the input unit comprising a control panel to manually control the movement of the carrier and/or the ejection of the nozzles.

Optionally, the housing includes two parallel side walls and a top wall connecting the two side walls, a slide rail is disposed on an inner side surface of at least one of the side walls and the top wall, the slide rail extends between the inlet side and the outlet side, the bearing device includes a slide block capable of controlled back and forth movement on the slide rail and a robot arm connected to the slide block, and the nozzle is disposed on a clamping mechanism of the robot arm opposite to the slide block.

Optionally, a lighting device is provided on the robot arm, the lighting device can emit light under the control of the central control unit or be manually operated to emit light by using the control panel, and/or the light emitting brightness of the lighting device can be automatically or manually adjusted.

Optionally, the vehicle body washing apparatus further comprises a detection unit to detect that a vehicle body to be washed enters the hollow space from the inlet side and/or exits the hollow space from the outlet side.

Optionally, the central control unit comprises a memory in which a program set in advance is stored, so that after detecting that the vehicle body to be washed enters the hollow space from the inlet side, the program is invoked by a computer of the central control unit to be executed to instruct the slide to move along the slide rail and/or to instruct the robot arm to move in a prescribed manner and/or to instruct the nozzle to spray washing liquid as the vehicle body to be washed moves from the inlet side to the outlet side.

Optionally, the robotic arm has 5 to 9 degrees of freedom.

Optionally, the slider is selectively lockable to the slide rail; and/or the robotic arm can be selectively locked into position.

Optionally, the housing includes two parallel side walls and a top wall connecting the two side walls, a slide rail is disposed on an inner side surface of at least one of the side walls and the top wall, the slide rail extends between the inlet side and the outlet side, the bearing device includes a slide block capable of controlled back and forth movement on the slide rail and a spray rod fixed to the slide block, and the nozzle is mounted on the spray rod.

Optionally, the housing includes two parallel side walls and a top wall connecting the two side walls, a plurality of slide rails are provided on an inner side surface of at least one of the side walls and the top wall, the plurality of slide rails are parallel to each other on the same inner side surface and extend between the inlet side and the outlet side, the carrier includes a slider capable of controlled back and forth movement on each slide rail on the same inner side surface and a spray bar fixed to all the sliders on the same inner side surface, and the nozzles are installed on the spray bar.

Optionally, a lighting device is arranged on the spray rod, the lighting device can emit light under the control of the central control unit or can be manually operated to emit light by using the control panel, and/or the light emitting brightness of the lighting device can be automatically or manually adjusted.

Optionally, the vehicle body washing apparatus further comprises a detection unit to detect that a vehicle body to be washed enters the hollow space from the inlet side and/or exits the hollow space from the outlet side.

Optionally, the central control unit includes a memory in which a program set in advance is stored, so that after it is detected that the vehicle body to be rinsed enters the hollow space from the inlet side, the program is invoked by a computer of the central control unit to be executed to instruct the slide block to move along the slide rail and/or instruct the spray bar to move in a prescribed manner and/or instruct the spray nozzles to spray rinsing liquid as the vehicle body to be rinsed moves from the inlet side to the outlet side.

Optionally, the slider is selectively lockable to the slide rail; and/or the spray bar can be selectively locked into position.

Alternatively, the spray nozzles mounted on the respective spray bars are a plurality of spray nozzles spaced apart from each other.

Optionally, the spray nozzles on the spray bar disposed proximate the top wall are at least 6 nozzles; and/or at least 5 spray nozzles on the spray bar are arranged close to the side wall.

Optionally, each track is a linear track.

Optionally, the housing comprises two parallel side walls and a top wall connecting the two side walls, a U-shaped slide rail is provided on an inner side of the top wall, the carrying device comprises a slider controllable to move back and forth on the U-shaped slide rail, and a spray bar having a first section substantially parallel to the top wall and a second section substantially parallel to the side walls, the first section being rotatably connected to the slider about an axis substantially perpendicular to the top wall, the nozzles being a plurality of nozzles and being mounted on the first section and the second section.

Optionally, the vehicle body washing apparatus further comprises a detection unit to detect that a vehicle body to be washed enters the hollow space from the inlet side and/or exits the hollow space from the outlet side.

Optionally, the central control unit includes a memory, in which a preset program is stored, so that after it is detected that the vehicle body to be washed enters the hollow space from the inlet side, the program is called by a computer of the central control unit to be executed to instruct the slide block to move along the slide rail with the spray bar and/or instruct the spray bar to rotate relative to the slide block and/or instruct the nozzles to spray washing liquid as the vehicle body to be washed moves from the inlet side to the outlet side.

Optionally, the pressure of the liquid ejected by the nozzle is adjustable between 0.01Mpa and 0.2 Mpa; and/or the flow rate of the liquid ejected by the nozzle can be adjusted between 1 and 100L/min; and/or the time for ejecting liquid by the nozzle is between 1 and 100 s.

Optionally, the nozzle is capable of selectively ejecting the rinsing liquid in different spray patterns including Flat Jet (Flat-Jet), V-Jet (V-Jet), full Jet (Full-Jet), flood-Jet (Flood-Jet), and swirl-Jet (spiral-Jet).

Optionally, the detection unit comprises a first position sensor arranged at or near the inlet side and a second position sensor arranged at or near the outlet side.

Optionally, the vehicle body flushing equipment is arranged at an outlet of a degreasing section or a zirconium treatment section in a vehicle coating workshop, wherein an additive or a resin water-soluble organic matter which is easy to generate foam is added in a treatment tank of the degreasing section or the zirconium treatment section.

Optionally, the side wall is a side wall of a process line of a paint shop and the roof wall is a ceiling of the process line of the paint shop.

Optionally, the inlet side and the outlet side are located between two adjacent ones of a plurality of treatment baths arranged in the treatment line.

Optionally, the body wash apparatus is arranged downstream of one treatment tank of the treatment line near its outlet, such that the inlet side is close to the treatment tank and the outlet side is remote from the treatment tank.

Optionally, the body wash apparatus is arranged upstream of one treatment tank of the treatment line near its inlet, such that the outlet side is close to the treatment tank and the inlet side is remote from the treatment tank.

According to another aspect of the present application, there is also provided a process line for use in a paint shop, the process line comprising:

a plurality of treatment tanks arranged in sequence; and

the vehicle body washing device is provided with a washing tank.

Optionally, the side wall of the vehicle body washing apparatus is a side wall of the process line, and the ceiling wall of the vehicle body washing apparatus is a ceiling of the process line.

Optionally, the inlet side and the outlet side of the body wash apparatus are located between adjacent two of the plurality of treatment tanks of the treatment line.

Optionally, the body wash apparatus is arranged downstream of one treatment tank of the treatment line near its outlet, such that the inlet side is close to the treatment tank and the outlet side is remote from the treatment tank.

Optionally, the body wash apparatus is arranged upstream of one treatment tank of the treatment line near its inlet, such that the outlet side is near the treatment tank and the inlet side is remote from the treatment tank.

By adopting the technical means, the white car body processed in the processing tank which is easy to generate foam can be conveniently cleaned, so that the inconvenience of subsequent processing procedures caused by foam residue marks or other additive residues is avoided. In addition, the vehicle body flushing equipment can be arranged between the working sections of the existing whole vehicle coating workshop, so that the working efficiency of the whole vehicle coating workshop is improved, and the labor cost is saved.

Drawings

The principles and aspects of the present application will be more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a simplified perspective view of a vehicle body wash apparatus according to one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a robotic arm with a gripper mounted thereon according to one example of the present application;

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a nozzle according to one example of the present application;

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a system block diagram of a vehicle body wash apparatus;

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a vehicle body wash apparatus according to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a vehicle body wash apparatus according to another embodiment of the present application; and

fig. 7 schematically shows a painting shop in which the body wash installation of the present application can be arranged.

Detailed Description

In the various figures of the present application, features that are structurally identical or functionally similar are denoted by the same reference numerals.

A plurality of working sections exist in a finished automobile coating workshop, and each working section carries out different treatments on a body-in-white. The body wash apparatus described herein may be disposed between any two stations as desired. In a preferred embodiment, the bodywork washing plant can be arranged at the outlet of the degreasing section and/or at the outlet of the zirconizing treatment section. The reason for this is that the body-in-white is liable to carry chemical agents or foam residues causing traces of adverse effects on the subsequent treatment immediately after being removed from the treatment tank of the degreasing section or the zirconizing treatment section. In particular, in the case of a body-in-white made of CRS plates, it is necessary to add an additional additive or a resinous water-soluble organic substance to a treatment tank in which the body-in-white is subjected to a zirconizing treatment, and the body-in-white coming out of the treatment tank is likely to carry an undesirable foam residue.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a vehicle body washing apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of the present application. The vehicle body washing apparatus 100 generally includes a housing 10. In fig. 1, the housing 10 generally comprises two side walls 11, 12 parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground and a top wall 13 connected to each other at the top side of the two vertical walls 11, 12. In an alternative embodiment, the housing 10 can be removably secured to the ground such that the body wash apparatus 100 can be readily removed and replaced at other suitable locations within the vehicle paint shop as desired. In fig. 1, three-dimensional coordinates X-Y-Z are shown, wherein the X-Y plane represents a plane parallel to the ground or top wall 13, the Z axis is perpendicular to the ground, the X axis represents the length direction of the housing 10, and the Y axis represents the width direction of the housing 10.

The side walls 11, 12 and the top wall 13 of the housing 10 enclose a hollow space through which a body-in-white (not shown) can pass. The hollow space has an inlet side 10a and an outlet side 10b, so that a body-in-white treated in the entire paint shop is moved in the X-axis direction from the inlet side 10a into the hollow space of the housing 10 and finally out of the hollow space of the housing 10 from the outlet side 10 b. The movement of the body-in-white can be accomplished using any of the common moving equipment employed in an entire paint shop and is therefore outside the scope of the discussion herein. It should be clear that the volume of the hollow space is arranged not to affect the normal operation of the moving equipment for moving the body in white.

In the embodiment shown, the hollow space enclosed by the housing 10 is substantially cuboidal. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the hollow space defined by the housing 10 may be any other suitable shape such as a semi-cylindrical shape, depending on the interior space of the vehicle paint shop.

At least one sliding rail 111 is arranged on the inner side of the side wall 11 of the housing 10 facing the hollow space, on which at least one sliding block 112 is arranged, which can be moved back and forth along the sliding rail. Similarly, at least one sliding rail 121 is arranged on the inner side of the side wall 12 of the housing 10 facing the hollow space, on which at least one sliding block 122 is arranged, which can be moved back and forth along the sliding rail. On the inner side of the top wall 13 of the housing 10 facing the hollow space, at least one sliding rail 131 is provided, on which at least one sliding block 132 is provided, which can be moved back and forth along the sliding rail. In addition, a locking mechanism can be arranged between the corresponding sliding block and the sliding rail, so that the sliding block can be locked on the sliding rail in a controlled manner according to requirements. A robot 113, 123 or 133 is attached to each slide 112, 122 or 132, respectively.

For example, each slide may be moved on the corresponding slide rail under the control of a computer according to a preset program, and each robot arm may also be moved under the control of a computer according to a preset program. The volume enclosed by the hollow space is set such that the prescribed movement path or movement manner of each robot arm does not obstruct or interfere with the movement of the body-in-white when the body-in-white moves within the hollow space. Further, the robot arms are set so that the movement paths or the movement modes thereof do not interfere with each other.

Each robot 113, 123 or 133 can be referenced to any suitable type of robot available on the market. In the context of the present application, a robot arm is understood to be a robot arm device which can be programmed automatically to perform corresponding actions or can be operated manually with an external control panel connected thereto, for example a control handle. Each robot arm may comprise a plurality of arm segments, and the arm segments are rotatably connected to each other via a plurality of pivot shafts, respectively, each of which performs a control motion using a micro motor. Furthermore, a similar pivot axis can also be provided at the arm section of each robot arm connected to the respective slide. Therefore, each robot arm is designed to realize 1 to 9 degrees of freedom. A clamping mechanism can be arranged at the free end of each mechanical arm and used for alternatively mounting nozzles of different models. Fig. 2 illustrates the robot arm 113 as an example, on which the chucking mechanism 114 is mounted. The chuck 114 is detachably attached with a nozzle 115.

The nozzles 115 may for example supply rinsing liquid via hoses arranged at least partly along the arm segments of the robot arm. A regulating valve (not shown) may be provided in the nozzle 115 to achieve the ejection or stop of the ejection of the rinsing liquid or pressure regulation of the nozzle 115 under the control of a computer. In an alternative embodiment, the liquid pressure of the nozzle 115 may be adjusted between 0.01Mpa and 0.2 Mpa. Further, in alternative embodiments, the flow rate of the nozzle 115 may be adjusted between 1 and 100L/min. In an alternative embodiment, the liquid ejection time of the nozzle 115 may also be adjustable, for example between 1 and 100 s. In a preferred embodiment, the rinsing liquid may be deionized water. For example, the deionized water may be drawn from a drawing tank additionally provided in the vehicle paint shop through a hose or drawn from a deionized water supply port usually provided in the vehicle paint shop through a hose.

Figure 3 schematically illustrates one example of a nozzle 115 that can be mounted on the fixture 114. According to this example, the nozzle 115 comprises a body 1151, within which body 1151 a channel can be provided in fluid communication with its hose. In addition, the nozzle 115 includes a turntable 1152 rotatably mounted with respect to the body 1151. A plurality of spray ports 1153a, 1153b, 1153c, 1153d, 1153e are provided on the turntable 1152. Turntable 1152 is rotatably mounted relative to body 1151 such that when turntable 1152 is rotated to a particular position relative to body 1151, only one of the plurality of jets can be in fluid communication with a channel within body 1151 such that irrigation liquid can be ejected therethrough. Each orifice is formed in a different manner so that the ejected liquid can form different spray patterns, such as spray patterns of Flat Jet (Flat-Jet), V-Jet (V-Jet), full Jet (Full-Jet), flood-Jet (Flood-Jet), or swirl-Jet (spiral-Jet), among others. That is, by rotating the turntable 1152, the nozzle 115 can change its spray pattern to accommodate different flushing requirements. For example, when it is desired to wash a relatively flat area of a body-in-white, the nozzle 115 may be controlled to take the spray pattern of a flat jet or a V-shaped jet, and when it is desired to wash a hole of a body-in-white for mounting a lamp, it may take the spray pattern of a whirlpool jet or the like, so that the body-in-white can be washed more cleanly with no chemical agent or foam residue. The switching of the spout can be effected manually or electrically. For example, a micro motor may be installed between the turntable 1152 and the body 1151, so that the turntable 1152 can be rotated with respect to the body 1151 by the micro motor under the control of a computer. It should be clear to a person skilled in the art that the way in which the nozzle 115 modifies the spray pattern is not limited to the example shown in fig. 3, and any other way that can be used to modify the spray pattern manually or electrically can be used in the solution of the present application, in particular in the nozzle 115.

In an alternative implementation, operation of the robotic arm and/or slide, such as start, end, reset, etc., may be accomplished using a position sensor arrangement. As just one non-limiting example, a position sensor 140a may be arranged, for example, at or near the inlet side 10a of the housing 10, in order to sense whether a body-in-white to be rinsed enters the housing 10, i.e. is about to be rinsed by the body rinsing device 100; a position sensor 140b may also be arranged at or near the outlet side 10b of the housing 10 in order to sense whether the body-in-white is exiting from the housing 10, i.e. will exit from the body wash apparatus 100. The position sensors 140a and 140b may be provided as part of the detection unit of the vehicle body wash apparatus 100. It should be clear to one skilled in the art that the position sensor can be any suitable sensor available on the market including, but not limited to, a contact position sensor or a non-contact position sensor.

Fig. 4 schematically shows a system block diagram of the vehicle body washing apparatus. As shown, the vehicle body washing apparatus 100 includes a central control unit D100, a detection unit D200, an input unit D300, and an output display unit D400. The central control unit D100 includes, for example, a computer and a memory for storing program codes executable by the computer. The central control unit D100 may be connected to the detection unit D200, the input unit D300, the output display unit D400, the slider, the robot arm, the nozzle, or other computer-controllable components of the vehicle body washing apparatus 100 via cables, for example. In the context of the present application, a data connection of two elements or components means that data can be transmitted between the two elements or components in a wired or wireless manner or, as required, from one party to the other party in order for the other party to act accordingly in accordance with the instructions of the one party. In fig. 4, the virtual image frame represents the carrier device. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the carrier generally comprises sliders 112, 122, 132 and robotic arms 113, 123, 133. The nozzles 115 are arranged on the carrier device, in particular on the robot arms 113, 123, 133 of the carrier device.

For example, when the position sensor 140a, which is a part of the detection unit D200, detects that a body-in-white is about to enter the enclosure 10, it transmits a sensing signal to the central control unit D100, and the central control unit D100 instructs, via its computer, the respective sliders 112, 122, 132 to enter a set initial position (which is close to the entrance side 10 a) with the robot arms 113, 123, 133. Upon sensing the entry of the body-in-white into the enclosure 10, the computer can instruct each slide 112, 122, 132 to move in the same direction as the body-in-white as required, and instruct each robot arm 113, 123, 133 to move in a prescribed movement path or the robot arms 113, 123, 133 to take any desired attitude while the nozzle 115 is controlled to spray rinsing liquid. In this process, the spray pattern of the nozzle 115 may be controllably modified as desired. Then, when the position sensor 140b, which is a part of the detection unit D200, detects that the body-in-white is about to leave the casing 10, it transmits a sensing signal to the central control unit D100, and the central control unit D100, via its computer, instructs each of the sliders 112, 122, 132 to stop moving at or near the exit side 10b carrying the robot arm 113, 123, 133 to wait for a further instruction or directly return to the initial position. The output display unit D400 includes, for example, a display for displaying current status parameters of the respective components of the vehicle body washing apparatus, such as the current jet form of each nozzle, the time at which each nozzle has performed the jet of the washing liquid, the position or attitude of the robot arm within the housing, and the like.

The above-mentioned external manipulation panel such as a manipulation handle may be a part of the input unit D300. When the sliders 112, 122, 132 stop moving at the exit side 10b with the robot arms 113, 123, 133 being carried, the operator standing by the vehicle body washing apparatus 100 can manually observe the washing condition of the body-in-white. If he/she finds any unwashed place in the body-in-white, the unwashed place can be manually cleaned by manually operating the corresponding robot arm using the handle to move and activate the button on the handle for activating the nozzle 115.

To ensure that the operator sees a clear body-in-white, an illumination device 116 is additionally or alternatively provided at the gripper 114 of each robot arm or at a suitable location of each robot arm. For example, the lighting device 116 may automatically emit light under the control of the central control unit D100 or manually control the light emission via the manipulation handle of the input unit D300. Preferably, the brightness of the illumination device 116 is adjustable to illuminate the body-in-white as desired. Preferably, the illumination angle of the illumination device 116 is also adjustable. In a preferred embodiment, the illumination device 116 comprises an LED lamp. In alternative embodiments, the illumination device 116 may be mounted at other locations of the body wash apparatus 100, such as at the slide block, etc.

According to the present application, during the movement of the respective sliders 112, 122, 132 towards the exit side 10b in their initial position, the respective robot arms 113, 123, 133 carried by them move according to a specific movement path. These movement paths can be set for different body-in-white models or different flushing requirements, and are stored in the memory of the central control unit D100 and called up by the computer as needed. This routing can be done directly on a computer by means of a virtual circuit or can be done by moving the body to be rinsed within the housing 10 past various points and manually moving the slides and/or the corresponding robot arms and recording the position of these slides and/or robot arms at the respective points.

In an embodiment of the present application, the sliding blocks, the sliding rails, the robot arms, in particular the arm segments of the robot arms, or their outer surfaces can be made of acid-and alkali-resistant materials, so as to ensure that their function is not affected by the moist and/or corrosive environment that occurs during operation of the body wash apparatus.

Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a vehicle body wash apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the present application. The vehicle body wash apparatus 200 includes a housing 10. It should be noted that in the embodiment shown in fig. 5, those reference numerals which are the same as those in the embodiments shown in fig. 1 to 4 may refer to the description of the embodiment of fig. 1 or its modifications, which will not be described in detail herein. In the embodiment shown in fig. 5, a plurality (three shown) of slide rails 111, 121, 131 are provided on the inner side of the side walls 11, 12 and the top wall 13 of the housing 10, respectively. The sliding tracks in each wall are parallel to each other and equally spaced apart. Further, a slider 112, 122 or 132 that moves back and forth along the slide rail is provided on each slide rail 111, 121 or 131. A spray bar 1131 is attached to the three sliders 112 of the side wall 11. A plurality (e.g., five) of nozzles 115 (hidden from view for clarity) may be provided on the spray bar 1131. For example, the spray nozzles 115 may be spaced equidistantly from one another on the spray bar 1131 on which they are located so that they can spray liquid toward the hollow space surrounded by the housing 10. In addition, lighting 116 may be provided at one or both ends of the spray bar 1131. Similarly, a spray bar 1132 is connected to the three sliders 122 of the side wall 12; a plurality (five in the illustration) of spray nozzles 115 (hidden from view for clarity) may be provided on the spray bar 1132. Similarly, a spray bar 1133 is attached to the three sliders 132 of the top wall 12; a plurality of (five in the drawing) nozzles 115 may be provided on the spray bar 1133. Those slides on each wall may be configured to move in unison so that the respective spray bar can move smoothly, for example back and forth along the length of the housing 10.

It should be clear to those skilled in the art that the system block diagram shown in FIG. 4 is equally applicable to the body wash apparatus 200, with the relevant description of the robotic arm omitted. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the carrier generally comprises sliders 112, 122, 132 and spray bars 1131, 1132, 1133.

For example, when the position sensor 140a arranged at or near the inlet side 10a as part of the detection unit D200 detects that a body-in-white is about to enter the housing 10, it transmits a sensing signal to the central control unit D100, via which the central control unit D100 instructs the respective sliders 112, 122, 132 to enter a set initial position (which is close to the inlet side 10 a) with the spray bars 1131, 1132, 1133. Upon sensing the entry of the body in white into the enclosure 10, the computer can command each slide 112, 122, 132 to move in the same direction as the body in white as desired, and command each spray bar 1131, 1132, 1133 to follow a predetermined path of travel while the spray nozzles 115 are controlled to spray rinsing liquid. In this process, the spray pattern of the nozzle 115 may be controllably modified as desired. Of course, each spray bar 1131, 1132, 1133 may stay at any desired location within the housing 10 while the nozzles 115 are controlled to spray rinsing liquid. Then, when the position sensor 140b, which is a part of the detection unit D200, detects that the body-in-white is about to leave the casing 10, it transmits a sensing signal to the central control unit D100, and the central control unit D100, via its computer, instructs each slider 112, 122, 132 to stop moving at or near the exit side 10b carrying the shower rods 1131, 1132, 1133 to wait for a further instruction or directly return to the initial position.

In an alternative example, a respective spray bar may also be provided only in at least one of the side walls 11, 12, the top wall 13.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 5, the slide rails are linear slide rails. However, in alternative embodiments, the slide rails may also be curved or partially curved in shape, as long as it is ensured that the slides on the respective walls move synchronously without affecting the operation of the respective spray bars. Furthermore, it is also conceivable for the embodiment shown in fig. 5 to add at least one robot arm as shown in fig. 1 at the outlet side 10b or additionally. For example, a robot arm 113, 123, 133 is additionally provided at or near the exit side 10b on the inner side of each of the side walls 11, 12 and the top wall 13, so that when the body-in-white is stopped at or near the exit side 10b of the body wash apparatus 200, an operator can observe the body-in-white and manually operate the corresponding robot arm using the handle to move and activate the button on the handle for activating the nozzle 115, thereby manually washing the unwashed place.

Fig. 6 schematically illustrates a vehicle body wash apparatus 300 according to another embodiment of the present application. The vehicle body wash apparatus 300 includes a housing 10. It should be noted that in the embodiment shown in fig. 6, those reference numerals which are the same as those in the embodiments shown in fig. 1 to 5 may refer to the description of the embodiment of fig. 1 or its modifications, which will not be described in detail herein. In the embodiment shown in fig. 6, a U-shaped slide rail 113U is arranged on the inner side of the top wall 13 of the housing 10. In the context of the present application, a U-shaped slide rail means that the slide rail extends in a U-shaped or substantially U-shaped manner over its length. A slider 122U is provided on the U-shaped slide rail 113U. In addition, the spray bar 1133L is coupled to the slide block 112U such that the slide block 112U can move along the U-shaped slide 113U carrying the spray bar 1133L and stay anywhere. The U-shaped opening of the slide rail 113U is close to the inlet side 10a of the housing 10. Spray bar 1133L is L-shaped having a section that is generally parallel to top wall 13 and a section that is generally parallel to side wall 11 or 12. A plurality of nozzles 115 are arranged at regular intervals on the spray bar 1133L. For example, hoses that supply a rinse liquid, such as deionized water, to these spray nozzles 115 may be disposed along the spray bar 1133L and extend outwardly from openings in the top wall 13 to connect a source of rinse liquid or a deionized water supply port typically provided in an auto paint shop so as not to interfere with movement of the spray bar 1133L. The section of the spray bar 1133L that is substantially parallel to the top wall 13 is rotatably connected to the slider 112U such that the axis of rotation is parallel to the Z-axis direction. For example, a micro motor is provided at the rotational connection between the spray bar 1133L and the slider 112U so as to be rotatable as required under the computer control of the central control unit D100. The spray bar 1133L is disposed within the housing 10 so as not to interfere with the body-in-white that stays in any desired attitude within the hollow space of the housing 10.

It should be clear to those skilled in the art that the system block diagram shown in FIG. 4 is equally applicable to the body wash apparatus 300, with the exception that the relevant description of the robotic arm is omitted. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the carrier generally comprises a slider 112U and a spray bar 1133L.

For example, when the position sensor 140a arranged at or near the inlet side 10a as part of the detection unit D200 detects that a body-in-white is about to enter the housing 10, it transmits a sensing signal to the central control unit D100, which via its computer instructs the slider 112U to bring the spray bar 1133L into a set initial position (which is close to the inlet side 10 a). Then, after having sensed that the body-in-white is fully seated within the enclosure 10, the computer may instruct the nozzles 115 to spray rinse liquid as desired toward the body-in-white. In the process, the slide 112U can be moved back and forth along the U-shaped rail 113U as required under the control of the computer and/or at the same time the spray bar 1133L is rotated about its axis of rotation relative to the slide 112U in order to ensure that the flushing liquid sprayed out by the individual nozzles 115 is always directed toward the body-in-white to be flushed. After a prescribed rinsing time (e.g., 1 to 100 s) has elapsed, the central control unit D100, via its computer instructions, stops the movement of the spray bars 1133L with the respective sliders 112U at or near the outlet side 10b awaiting further instructions or returns directly to the initial position.

The embodiment shown in fig. 6 has the advantage that the length of the housing 10 can be correspondingly shortened, for example to the length of a body-in-white, so that the floor space of the body wash apparatus 300 is reduced and the arrangement between the various stations of a vehicle paint shop is facilitated. In this case, a position sensor 140b arranged at or near the outlet side 10b as part of the detection unit D200 may be used to sense whether the body-in-white has been fully brought into position within the housing 10.

It should be clear to a person skilled in the art that the embodiments, examples or variants that have been described can be combined with each other to achieve any solution that meets the objectives of the present application. In an additional embodiment, one or more lighting devices 116 may be provided, for example, at any suitable location on the spray bar 1133L, so that an operator standing near the body washing apparatus 300, for example, near the exit side 10b, may manually activate the lighting devices 116 to illuminate the body in white and observe whether the body in white has been washed clean, as desired, and/or may manually wash the place that has not been washed clean by moving the hand lever manual operation slider 112U and/or the spray bar 1133L and activating the button on the hand lever for activating the spray nozzles 115.

In an alternative embodiment, it is also possible to provide only rotatable spray bars (for example straight bars) on the side walls and/or the bottom wall of the housing, on which spray bars a plurality of spray nozzles are arranged facing the hollow space of the housing, each spray bar being rotatable in a controlled manner about a rotational axis perpendicular to the respective wall, so that after a body-in-white to be rinsed enters the housing, the spray bars can be rotated in a controlled manner and/or the spray nozzles thereon can also be sprayed with rinsing liquid in a controlled manner.

The housing 10 of the body wash apparatus 100, 200, 300 according to the present application or of their modifications may be present as part of a paint shop. For example, in order to treat a body-in-white in a paint shop, a plurality of treatment tanks T10, T20, T30, and T40 are generally arranged in sequence in one treatment line, as shown in fig. 7. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that the number of treatment tanks may be dependent. The treatment line generally comprises two mutually parallel side walls (not shown) and a ceiling (not shown), the treatment tanks being arranged substantially in line in the space enclosed by the side walls and the ceiling. In an alternative embodiment, the side wall of the housing of the vehicle body wash apparatus 100, 200, 300 may be a side wall of the process line, and the top wall of the housing of the vehicle body wash apparatus 100, 200, 300 may be a ceiling of the process line. That is, the body wash apparatus of the present application may be integrally provided within the process line, thereby omitting the housing of the apparatus itself.

While the body-in-white W is being processed in the processing line, the body-in-white W is moved substantially in the direction M (parallel to the X axis) and is subjected to a process such as showering or soaking while passing through a corresponding one of the processing tanks. Thus, the body-in-white W can be moved from the entrance of the process line to the exit of the process line while undergoing the necessary processing. In one embodiment, the inlet side and the outlet side of the body wash apparatus of the present application are located between two adjacent treatment tanks of the plurality of treatment tanks of the treatment line. In another embodiment, the body wash apparatus of the present application may be arranged downstream of one treatment tank of the treatment line near its outlet, such that the inlet side is close to the treatment tank and the outlet side is remote from the treatment tank. In another embodiment, the vehicle body washing apparatus of the present application may be disposed upstream of one treatment tank of the treatment line near an inlet thereof such that the outlet side is close to the treatment tank and the inlet side is remote from the treatment tank.

Although specific embodiments of the present application have been described herein in detail, they have been presented for purposes of illustration only and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the application. Furthermore, it should be clear to a person skilled in the art that the embodiments described in the present specification can be used in combination with each other. Various substitutions, alterations, and modifications may be conceived without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application.

Claims (30)

1. A vehicle body wash installation (100, 200 or 300) for a process line of a paint shop, characterized in that it comprises:

a housing (10) defining a hollow space at least partially around and having an inlet side (10 a) and an outlet side (10 b);

-a carrier device mounted on the inner side of the housing (10) facing the hollow space and controllable to move between the inlet side (10 a) and the outlet side (10 b);

a nozzle provided on the carrier, the nozzle selectively ejecting rinsing liquid towards the hollow space;

a central control unit (D100) in data connection with said carrier and said nozzles to control the movement of said carrier and/or the ejection of said nozzles according to a preset program;

an input unit (D300) in data connection with the central control unit (D100), the input unit (D300) comprising a control panel to manually control the movement of the carrier and/or the ejection of the nozzles.

2. The vehicle body wash apparatus (100, 200, or 300) according to claim 1, characterized in that said housing (10) comprises two parallel side walls (11, 12) and a top wall (13) connecting said two side walls (11, 12), a slide rail (111, 121, or 131) provided on an inner side of at least one of said side walls (11, 12) and said top wall (13), said slide rail (111, 121, or 131) extending between said inlet side (10 a) and said outlet side (10 b), said carrying means comprising a slide (112, 122, or 132) controlled to move back and forth on said slide rail (111, 121, or 131) and a robot arm (113, 123, or 133) connected to said slide (112, 122, or 132), said nozzle being provided on a clamping mechanism (114) of said robot arm (113, 123, or 133) opposite to said slide (112, 122, or 132).

3. The vehicle body washing apparatus (100, 200, or 300) according to claim 2, characterized in that a lighting device (116) is provided on the robot arm (113, 123, or 133), the lighting device (116) is lighted under the control of the central control unit (D100) or is manually operated with the control panel, and/or the lighting luminance of the lighting device (116) is automatically or manually adjusted.

4. The vehicle body washing apparatus (100, 200 or 300) according to claim 3, further comprising a detection unit (D200) to detect that a vehicle body to be washed enters the hollow space from the inlet side (10 a) and/or exits the hollow space from the outlet side (10 b).

5. The vehicle body wash apparatus (100, 200, or 300) of any of claims 2 to 4, wherein said robotic arm (113, 123, or 133) has 5 to 9 degrees of freedom.

6. The vehicle body washing apparatus (100, 200 or 300) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the slider (112, 122 or 132) is selectively locked to the slide rail (111, 121 or 131); and/or the robotic arm (113, 123, or 133) is selectively locked into position.

7. The vehicle body washing apparatus (100, 200, or 300) according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (10) comprises two parallel side walls (11, 12) and a top wall (13) connecting the two side walls (11, 12), a slide rail (111, 121, or 131) provided on an inner side surface of at least one of the side walls (11, 12) and the top wall (13), the slide rail (111, 121, or 131) extending between the inlet side (10 a) and the outlet side (10 b), the carrying device comprising a slider (112, 122, or 132) that is controllable to move back and forth on the slide rail (111, 121, or 131) and a spray bar (1131, 1132, or 1133) fixed to the slider (112, 122, or 132), the spray nozzles being mounted on the spray bar (1131, 1132, or 1133).

8. The vehicle body washing apparatus (100, 200, or 300) according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (10) includes two parallel side walls (11, 12) and a top wall (13) connecting the two side walls (11, 12), a plurality of slide rails (111, 121, or 131) provided on an inner side surface of at least one of the side walls (11, 12) and the top wall (13), the plurality of slide rails (111, 121, or 131) being parallel to each other on the same inner side surface and extending between the inlet side (10 a) and the outlet side (10 b), the carrier means including a slider (112, 122, or 132) controlled to move back and forth on each slide rail (111, 121, or 131) on the same inner side surface and a shower bar (1131, 1132, or 1133) fixed to all sliders (112, 122, or 132) on the same inner side surface, the nozzles being mounted on the shower bar (1131, 1132, or 1133).

9. The body wash apparatus (100, 200 or 300) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that a lighting device (116) is provided on the spray bar (1131, 1132 or 1133), the lighting device (116) emits light under the control of the central control unit (D100) or is manually operated with the control panel to emit light, and/or the light emission brightness of the lighting device (116) is automatically or manually adjusted.

10. The vehicle body washing apparatus (100, 200 or 300) according to claim 9, further comprising a detection unit (D200) to detect that a vehicle body to be washed enters the hollow space from the inlet side (10 a) and/or exits the hollow space from the outlet side (10 b).

11. The vehicle body washing apparatus (100, 200 or 300) according to claim 10, characterized in that the slider (112, 122 or 132) is selectively locked to the slide rail (111, 121 or 131); and/or the spray bar (1131, 1132, or 1133) is selectively locked into position.

12. The vehicle body washing apparatus (100, 200, or 300) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the spray nozzles mounted on the respective spray bars are a plurality of spray nozzles spaced apart from each other.

13. The vehicle body washing apparatus (100, 200 or 300) according to claim 12, characterized in that the nozzles on the spray bar disposed close to the top wall (13) are at least 6 nozzles; and/or at least 5 spray nozzles on a spray bar arranged close to the side wall (11 or 12).

14. The vehicle body wash apparatus (100, 200, or 300) of any of claims 1 to 4, 7, and 8, wherein each rail is a linear rail.

15. The vehicle body washing apparatus (100, 200 or 300) according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (10) comprises two parallel side walls (11, 12) and a top wall (13) connecting the two side walls (11, 12), a U-shaped slide (113U) is provided on an inner side of the top wall (13), the carrying means comprises a slider (112U) controllable to move back and forth on the U-shaped slide (113U), and a spray bar (1133L), the spray bar (1133L) has a first section parallel to the top wall (13) and a second section parallel to the side walls, the first section is rotatably connected to the slider (112U) about an axis perpendicular to the top wall (13), the nozzles are a plurality of nozzles, and are mounted on the first section and the second section.

16. The vehicle body washing apparatus (100, 200 or 300) according to claim 15, further comprising a detection unit (D200) to detect that a vehicle body to be washed enters the hollow space from the inlet side (10 a) and/or exits the hollow space from the outlet side (10 b).

17. The vehicle body washing apparatus (100, 200, or 300) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 7, 8, 15, 16, wherein a pressure of the liquid ejected by the nozzle is adjusted between 0.01Mpa and 0.2 Mpa; and/or the flow rate of the liquid sprayed by the nozzle is regulated between 1 and 100L/min; and/or the time for ejecting liquid by the nozzle is between 1 and 100 s.

18. The vehicle body washing apparatus (100, 200, or 300) according to claim 17, characterized in that the nozzles are removably arranged on the carrier and are selected from one of the group consisting of nozzles capable of generating a flat jet, nozzles capable of generating a V-shaped jet, nozzles capable of generating a full jet, nozzles capable of generating a flushing jet and nozzles capable of generating a swirling jet.

19. The vehicle body washing apparatus (100, 200, or 300) of claim 17, characterized in that the nozzle is capable of selectively spraying the washing liquid in different spray patterns including flat spray, V-shaped spray, full spray, rushing spray, and swirling spray.

20. The vehicle body washing apparatus (100, 200, or 300) according to any one of claims 4, 10, 11, 16, characterized in that the detection unit (D200) includes a first position sensor (140 a) disposed at or near the inlet side (10 a) and a second position sensor (140 b) disposed at or near the outlet side (10 b).

21. The vehicle body washing equipment (100, 200 or 300) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 7, 8 and 16, wherein the vehicle body washing equipment is arranged at an outlet of a degreasing section or a zirconium treatment section in a vehicle painting shop, wherein an additive or a resinous water-soluble organic substance which is liable to generate foam is added to a treatment tank of the degreasing section or the zirconium treatment section.

22. The vehicle body washing apparatus (100, 200, or 300) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, 7, 8, 15, 16, characterized in that the side wall is a side wall of a process line of a paint shop and the ceiling wall is a ceiling of the process line of the paint shop.

23. The vehicle body wash apparatus (100, 200, or 300) of claim 22, wherein said inlet side and said outlet side are located between two adjacent ones of a plurality of treatment tanks arranged in said treatment line.

24. The vehicle body wash apparatus (100, 200, or 300) according to claim 23, characterized in that said vehicle body wash apparatus (100, 200, or 300) is arranged downstream of one treatment tank of a treatment line near its outlet, such that said inlet side is close to said treatment tank and said outlet side is remote from said treatment tank.

25. The vehicle body wash apparatus (100, 200, or 300) according to claim 23, wherein said vehicle body wash apparatus (100, 200, or 300) is arranged upstream of one treatment tank of a treatment line near an inlet thereof, such that said outlet side is close to said treatment tank and said inlet side is remote from said treatment tank.

26. A process line for use in a paint shop, the process line comprising:

a plurality of treatment tanks arranged in sequence; and, characterized in that the processing line further comprises:

the vehicle body washing apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 25.

27. The process line according to claim 26, characterized in that the side wall of the vehicle body wash apparatus is a side wall of the process line and the top wall of the vehicle body wash apparatus is a ceiling of the process line.

28. The process line according to claim 26 or 27, wherein the inlet side and the outlet side of the body wash apparatus are located between two adjacent ones of the plurality of process tanks of the process line.

29. The process line according to claim 26 or 27, wherein the body wash apparatus is arranged downstream of one process tank of the process line near its outlet, such that the inlet side is close to the process tank and the outlet side is remote from the process tank.

30. The process line according to claim 26 or 27, wherein the body wash apparatus is arranged upstream of one process tank of the process line near its inlet, such that the outlet side is close to the process tank and the inlet side is remote from the process tank.

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