EP3712090A1 - Treatment system and method for treating workpieces - Google Patents

Abstract

A treatment system for treating workpieces (12), in particular for coating and / or drying vehicle bodies (14), comprises a treatment device (16) with a housing (18) in which a treatment room (20) is accommodated. A conveyor system (34) comprises a plurality of transport carriages (40) by means of which the workpieces (12) can be conveyed through the treatment room (20), each transport carriage (40) having a chassis (46) and a fastening device (56) for at least one Comprises workpiece (12) which are coupled to one another by means of a connecting device (62). Outside the treatment room (20) there is a guide area (70) with a driving area (72) for the chassis (46). The driving area (72) is connected to the treatment room (20) via a connecting passage (80) in such a way that the chassis (46) of a transport trolley (40) can be moved in the driving area (72) and the fastening device (56) in the treatment room ( 20) is carried along and the connecting device (62) extends through the connecting passage (80). The driving space (72) is defined by a driving space housing (76) and there is a gas device (90) which is set up in such a way that a flow-through gas, in particular air, can be fed to the driving space (76) and at least a large part of the flow-through gas as exhaust gas can be discharged again from the driving area (76) without this flow-through gas reaching the treatment area (20) through the connecting passage (80). A corresponding procedure is also given.

Description

1. a) einer Behandlungseinrichtung mit einem Gehäuse, in dem ein Behandlungsraum untergebracht ist;
2. b) einem Fördersystem, welches eine Vielzahl von Transportwagen umfasst, mittels denen die Werkstücke durch den Behandlungsraum förderbar sind, wobei jeder Transportwagen ein Fahrwerk und eine Befestigungseinrichtung für zumindest ein Werkstück umfasst, die mittels einer Verbindungseinrichtung miteinander gekoppelt sind;
   wobei
3. c) außerhalb des Behandlungsraumes ein Führungsbereich mit einem Fahrraum für das Fahrwerk vorhanden ist;
4. d) der Fahrraum über einen Verbindungsdurchgang mit dem Behandlungsraum derart verbunden ist, dass das Fahrwerk eines Transportwagens in dem Fahrraum bewegbar ist und dabei die Befestigungseinrichtung im Behandlungsraum mitgeführt wird und sich die Verbindungseinrichtung durch den Verbindungsdurchgang hindurch erstreckt.

The invention relates to a treatment system for treating workpieces, in particular for coating and / or drying vehicle bodies with

1. a) a treatment device with a housing in which a treatment room is housed;
2. b) a conveyor system which comprises a plurality of transport trolleys by means of which the workpieces can be conveyed through the treatment room, each transport trolley comprising a chassis and a fastening device for at least one workpiece, which are coupled to one another by means of a connecting device;
   in which
3. c) outside the treatment room there is a guide area with a driving area for the chassis;
4. d) the driving area is connected to the treatment room via a connecting passage in such a way that the chassis of a transport vehicle can be moved in the driving area and the fastening device is carried along in the treatment room and the connecting device extends through the connecting passage.

The invention also relates to a method for treating workpieces, in particular for coating and / or drying vehicle bodies, comprising guiding workpieces through a treatment room by means of a conveyor system which comprises a plurality of transport trolleys, each transport trolley having a chassis and a fastening device for at least comprises a workpiece, which are coupled to one another by means of a connecting device, and wherein outside the treatment room there is a guide area with a driving area for the chassis, which is connected to the treatment room via a connecting passage in such a way that the chassis of a transport vehicle is movable in the driving area and while the fastening device is carried along in the treatment room and the connecting device extends through the connecting passage.

In such a treatment system, treatment devices can be present, in particular in the form of coating booths or dryers. In coating booths, the workpieces are provided with a coating and, for example, painted; the treatment room in this case is a coating tunnel or a painting tunnel. In the case of a dryer, the treatment room is accordingly a drying tunnel.

Treatment devices can also be present in the form of assembly devices and / or control devices in which the workpieces are assembled or assembly work is carried out on the workpieces or in which the workpieces are checked during the ongoing production process.

The connection passage can cause the atmosphere of the treatment room to pass into the driving area. In the case of dryers in particular, this atmosphere is polluted with solvents, which can then condense out in the usually cooler driving area and be reflected on the components of the conveyor technology in the driving area. However, this attacks the conveyor system.

In addition, temperatures prevail in the driving area, particularly in the case of dryers, at which the conveyor technology located in the driving area is exposed to undesirably high thermal loads.

The DE 20 2017 106 843 U1 proposes in a treatment system and a method of the type mentioned at the outset to supply a gas to the driving area so that gas always flows from the driving area into the treatment tunnel and not vice versa. However, this has the considerable disadvantage that in this way impurities are brought into the treatment tunnel from the driving area. Such contamination is in particular abrasion or lubricants of the components of the conveyor system in the driving area. The DE 20 2017 106 843 U1 also suggests that the driving area has its own housing and that a gas is supplied to it under overpressure. But even then, relatively large volumes of gas have to be moved. In addition, locks must be provided at the ends of the driving area in order to maintain the pressure in the driving area even when the trolleys are moving in and out; however, these locks are expensive to build simply because of the necessary cross-section of the driving space.

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a treatment system and a method of the type mentioned at the beginning which take this idea into account.

• e) der Fahrraum durch ein Fahrraumgehäuse definiert ist;
• f) eine Gaseinrichtung vorhanden ist, welche derart eingerichtet es, dass ein Durchströmungsgas, insbesondere Luft, dem Fahrraum zuführbar und zumindest ein Großteil des Durchströmungsgases als Abgas wieder aus dem Fahrraum abführbar ist, ohne dass dieses Durchströmungsgas durch den Verbindungsdurchgang in den Behandlungsraum gelangt.

In a treatment system of the type mentioned at the outset, this object is achieved in that

• e) the driving space is defined by a driving space housing;
• f) a gas device is present which is set up in such a way that a flow-through gas, in particular air, can be fed to the driving area and at least a large part of the flow-through gas can be discharged from the driving area as exhaust gas without this flow-through gas reaching the treatment room through the connecting passage.

In this way, the flow of air flows through the driving area, which removes undesired components and at the same time achieves a cooling effect. At the same time, it prevents air from entering the treatment room from the driving area.

It is particularly effective here if the gas device is set up in such a way that the gas flowing through flows through the driving space with a directional component transverse to a direction of movement of the trolleys.

In addition, it can be advantageous if the gas device is set up in such a way that the gas flowing through flows through the driving space with a directional component parallel to a direction of movement of the trolleys. This corresponds to an inclined flow guidance in relation to the direction of movement of the trolleys.

The driving compartment housing has one or more gas inlet openings and one or more gas outlet openings. In each case, several inlets and outlets are favorable, so that the flow gas can flow through the driving area in a targeted and controllable manner.

The gas device is preferably set up in such a way that the volume flow Q [m ³ s ^-1 ] of the supplied through-flow gas can be set at one or more gas inlet openings and / or that the volume flow Q [m ³ s ^-1 ] of the exhaust gas discharged at one or more several gas outlet openings is adjustable.

1. a) eine oder mehrere Gaseinlassöffnungen mit einem Zuführ-Leitungssystem eines Zuführsystems verbunden sind, durch welches Durchströmungsgas zu den Gaseinlassöffnungen strömen kann, und das Zuführsystem in dem Zuführ-Leitungssystem eine aktive Einblaseinrichtung und/oder eine passive Einlasseinrichtung aufweist;
   und/oder
2. b) eine oder mehrere Gasauslassöffnungen mit einem Abführ-Leitungssystem eines Abführsystems verbunden, durch welches das Abgas von den Gasauslassöffnungen wegströmen und abgeführt werden kann, und das Abführsystem in dem Abführ-Leitungssystem eine aktive Absaugeinrichtung und/oder eine passive Auslasseinrichtung aufweist.

It's beneficial though

1. a) one or more gas inlet openings are connected to a supply line system of a supply system, through which gas flows to the Gas inlet openings can flow, and the supply system in the supply line system has an active injection device and / or a passive inlet device;
   and or
2. b) one or more gas outlet openings connected to a discharge line system of a discharge system, through which the exhaust gas can flow away from the gas outlet openings and be discharged, and the discharge system in the discharge line system has an active suction device and / or a passive outlet device.

1. a) die aktive Einblaseinrichtung ein oder mehrere Zuführgebläse umfasst;
   und/oder
2. b) die passive Einlasseinrichtung ein oder mehrere Einlass-Ventileinrichtungen, insbesondere Klappenventile, umfasst, durch welche der Strömungsquerschnitt für das Durchströmungsgas veränderbar ist;
   und/oder
3. c) die aktive Absaugeinrichtung ein oder mehrere Abführgebläse umfasst;
   und/oder
4. d) die passive Auslasseinrichtung ein oder mehrere Auslass-Ventileinrichtungen, insbesondere Klappenventile, umfasst, durch welche der Strömungsquerschnitt für das Abgas aus dem Fahrraum veränderbar ist.

It is beneficial if

1. a) the active injection device comprises one or more feed fans;
   and or
2. b) the passive inlet device comprises one or more inlet valve devices, in particular flap valves, by means of which the flow cross section for the gas flowing through can be changed;
   and or
3. c) the active suction device comprises one or more discharge fans;
   and or
4. d) the passive outlet device comprises one or more outlet valve devices, in particular flap valves, by means of which the flow cross section for the exhaust gas from the driving area can be changed.

If several feed fans and / or several discharge fans are present, it is ensured at the same time that in the event of failure of one or, if necessary, also several fans, the gas device remains functional, since the remaining functioning fan can compensate for the defective fan or fans. For this purpose, the remaining fans are then operated with a correspondingly higher output.

1. a) ein Zuführgebläse jeweils mit einer einzigen Gaseinlassöffnung oder jeweils mit mehreren Gaseinlassöffnungen verbunden ist;
   und/oder
2. b) eine Einlass-Ventileinrichtung jeweils mit einer einzigen Gaseinlassöffnung oder jeweils mit mehreren Gaseinlassöffnungen verbunden ist;
   und/oder
3. c) ein Abführgebläse jeweils mit einer einzigen Gasauslassöffnung oder jeweils mit mehreren Gasauslassöffnungen verbunden ist;
   und/oder
4. d) eine Auslass-Ventileinrichtung jeweils mit einer einzigen Gasauslassöffnung oder jeweils mit mehreren Gasauslassöffnungen verbunden ist.

It's beneficial though

1. a) a feed fan is connected to a single gas inlet opening or to a plurality of gas inlet openings;
   and or
2. b) an inlet valve device is connected in each case to a single gas inlet opening or in each case to a plurality of gas inlet openings;
   and or
3. c) a discharge fan is connected to a single gas outlet opening or to a plurality of gas outlet openings;
   and or
4. d) an outlet valve device is connected to a single gas outlet opening or to a plurality of gas outlet openings.

For an effective use of resources, it is favorable if a conditioning device is present to which the exhaust gas can be fed, wherein the conditioned gas can be fed to a fresh air supply for the treatment device.

In a method of the type mentioned at the outset, the object specified above is achieved in that
the driving space is defined by a driving space housing;
a gas device is present which is set up in such a way that a flow-through gas, in particular air, is fed to the driving area and at least a large part of the flow-through gas is discharged from the driving area as exhaust gas without this flow-through gas reaching the treatment room through the connecting passage.

The advantages of this and the following measures correspond to the advantages that were described for the treatment system.

Accordingly, it is favorable if the gas flowing through flows through the driving space with a directional component transverse to a direction of movement of the trolleys.

In addition, the flow-through gas flows through the driving space with a directional component parallel to a direction of movement of the trolleys.

The driving space housing preferably has one or more gas inlet openings and one or more gas outlet openings.

The volume flow Q [m ³ s ^-1 ] of the supplied through-flow gas can be set at one or more gas inlet openings (92) and / or the volume flow Q [m ³ s ^-1 ] of the exhaust gas discharged can be set at one or more gas outlet openings (94 ) can be set.

1. a) eine oder mehrere Gaseinlassöffnungen mit einem Zuführ-Leitungssystem eines Zuführsystems verbunden sind, durch welches Durchströmungsgas zu den Gaseinlassöffnungen strömt, und das Zuführsystem in dem Zuführ-Leitungssystem eine aktive Einblaseinrichtung und/oder eine passive Einlasseinrichtung aufweist;
   und/oder
2. b) eine oder mehrere Gasauslassöffnungen mit einem Abführ-Leitungssystem eines Abführsystems verbunden, durch welches das Abgas von den Gasauslassöffnungen wegströmt und abgeführt wird, und das Abführsystem in dem Abführ-Leitungssystem eine aktive Absaugeinrichtung und/oder eine passive Auslasseinrichtung aufweist.

It is also beneficial if

1. a) one or more gas inlet openings are connected to a feed line system of a feed system, through which gas flows through to the gas inlet openings, and the feed system in the feed line system has an active injection device and / or a passive inlet device;
   and or
2. b) one or more gas outlet openings connected to a discharge line system of a discharge system through which the exhaust gas flows away from the gas outlet openings and is discharged, and the discharge system in the discharge line system has an active suction device and / or a passive outlet device.

1. a) die aktive Einblaseinrichtung ein oder mehrere Zuführgebläse umfasst;
   und/oder
2. b) die passive Einlasseinrichtung ein oder mehrere Einlass-Ventileinrichtungen, insbesondere Klappenventile, umfasst, durch welche der Strömungsquerschnitt für das Durchströmungsgas veränderbar ist;
   und/oder
3. c) die aktive Absaugeinrichtung ein oder mehrere Abführgebläse umfasst;
   und/oder
4. d) die passive Auslasseinrichtung umfasst ein oder mehrere Auslass-Ventileinrichtungen, insbesondere Klappenventile, durch welche der Strömungsquerschnitt für das Abgas aus dem Fahrraum veränderbar ist.

Accordingly, it is also advantageous if

1. a) the active injection device comprises one or more feed fans;
   and or
2. b) the passive inlet device comprises one or more inlet valve devices, in particular flap valves, by means of which the flow cross section for the gas flowing through can be changed;
   and or
3. c) the active suction device comprises one or more discharge fans;
   and or
4. d) the passive outlet device comprises one or more outlet valve devices, in particular flap valves, by means of which the flow cross section for the exhaust gas from the driving area can be changed.

1. a) ein Zuführgebläse jeweils mit einer einzigen Gaseinlassöffnung oder jeweils mit mehreren Gaseinlassöffnungen verbunden ist;
   und/oder
2. b) eine Einlass-Ventileinrichtung jeweils mit einer einzigen Gaseinlassöffnung oder jeweils mit mehreren Gaseinlassöffnungen verbunden ist;
   und/oder
3. c) ein Abführgebläse jeweils mit einer einzigen Gasauslassöffnung oder jeweils mit mehreren Gasauslassöffnungen verbunden ist;
   und/oder
4. d) eine Auslass-Ventileinrichtung jeweils mit einer einzigen Gasauslassöffnung oder jeweils mit mehreren Gasauslassöffnungen verbunden ist.

It is also advantageous if

1. a) a feed fan is connected to a single gas inlet opening or to a plurality of gas inlet openings;
   and or
2. b) an inlet valve device is connected in each case to a single gas inlet opening or in each case to a plurality of gas inlet openings;
   and or
3. c) a discharge fan is connected to a single gas outlet opening or to a plurality of gas outlet openings;
   and or
4. d) an outlet valve device is connected to a single gas outlet opening or to a plurality of gas outlet openings.

Advantageously, exhaust gas is fed to a conditioning device and the conditioned gas is fed to a fresh air supply for the treatment device.

Ambient air from the vicinity of the treatment device is used as the gas flowing through. Since the gas flowing through cannot get into the treatment room, or only to a small extent, this ambient air does not have to be cleaned or otherwise processed.

Figur 1

schematisch einen vertikalen Querschnitt einer Behandlungsanlage mit einem Behandlungsraum und einem außerhalb des Behandlungsraumes angeordneten Führungsraum mit einem Fahrraum für ein Transportsystem, wobei ein erstes Ausführungsbeispiel einer Gaseinrichtung zum Erzeugen einer Strömung durch den Fahrraum gezeigt ist, durch welche ein Durchströmungsgas in den Fahrraum einströmen und als Abgas aus dem Fahrraum ausströmen kann;

Figur 2

eine perspektivische Ansicht des Fahrraumbereichs der Behandlungsanlage bei einem Schnitt entlang der Schnittlinie IV-IV in Figur 1;

Figur 3

einen Schnitt der Behandlungsanlage entlang der Schnittlinie III-III in Figur 1;

Figuren 4 bis 8

jeweils einen Schnitt der Behandlungsanlage entlang der Schnittlinie IV-IV in Figur 1 mit unterschiedlichen Ausführungsbeispielen der Gaseinrichtung;

Figur 9

einen Ausschnitt des Schnittes der Figur 3, wobei eine Konditioniervorrichtung für das aus dem Fahrraum kommende Abgas gezeigt ist;

Figur 10

einen der Figur 1 entsprechenden Querschnitt der Behandlungsanlage mit abgewandeltem Fahrraum.

Embodiments of the invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings. In these show.

Figure 1

schematically a vertical cross-section of a treatment system with a treatment room and a guide room with a driving area for a transport system, which is arranged outside the treatment room, a first embodiment of a gas device for generating a flow through the driving area is shown, through which a flow gas flows into the driving area and as exhaust gas can flow out of the driving area;

Figure 2

a perspective view of the driving area of the treatment system with a section along the section line IV-IV in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3

a section of the treatment system along the section line III-III in Figure 1;

Figures 4 to 8

each a section of the treatment system along section line IV-IV in Figure 1 with different embodiments of the gas device;

Figure 9

a section of the section of the Figure 3 , wherein a conditioning device for the exhaust gas coming from the driver's compartment is shown;

Figure 10

one of the Figure 1 corresponding cross-section of the treatment plant with modified driving area.

The figures schematically illustrate a treatment system, denoted as a whole by 10, for treating workpieces 12, which are exemplified as vehicle bodies 14.

The treatment system 10 comprises a treatment device 16 with a housing 18 in which a treatment room 20 is accommodated, which is designed as a treatment tunnel 22 and comprises two tunnel walls in the form of side walls 24 and two further tunnel walls in the form of a ceiling 26 and a tunnel floor 28. In a preferred exemplary embodiment described here by way of example, the treatment device 16 is a dryer 30, in which the treatment tunnel 22 defines a drying tunnel 32. The treatment device 16 can, however, also be, for example, a coating device in which the workpieces 14 are coated and in particular painted automatically with the aid of painting robots or manually.

The workpieces 12 are conveyed with a conveyor system 34 through the treatment tunnel 22 of the treatment device 16. The treatment device 16 is operated continuously and accordingly has one in the front end Figures 4 to 9 to be recognized entrance 36 and at the opposite front end one only in Figure 3 output 38 to be recognized. Treatment tunnels 22 and drying tunnels 32 are also to be understood as treatment rooms which are designed as a batch system and possibly only have a single access via which the workpieces 12 enter treatment room 20 and again after treatment be promoted out of this.

The conveyor system 34 comprises a plurality of transport carriages 40 on which the workpieces 12 are transported. The trolleys 40 are moved on a rail system 42. In the case of a modification not specifically shown, the transport trolleys 40 can be designed as free-moving transport vehicles in the sense of driverless transport systems that are familiar to the person skilled in the art as so-called AGVs.

The present rail system 42 is single-track and comprises a support rail 44 on which a transport carriage 40 moves and which in the present exemplary embodiment is designed as an I-profile known per se, but can also have other cross-sections. The rail system 42 can also be multi-lane, in particular two-lane. The support rail 44 is floor-bound and anchored on a floor, here on the floor of the treatment system 10.

Each transport trolley 40 comprises a chassis 46 and a drive system 48 which, in the present exemplary embodiment, comprises a drive roller 50 which runs on the support rail 44 and can be driven by means of a drive motor 52. The trolleys 40 can be driven independently of one another in this way. In the present embodiment, the drive roller 50 runs the top of the support rail 44. In a modification, the drive roller 50 can also act laterally on the support rail 44.

In addition to or instead of the transport trolleys 40 explained here, each with its own drive system 48 that is carried along, other transport trolleys may also be present which are driven by a central drive system. For example, such a central drive system can be formed by a chain hoist or the like. The transport carriages 40 explained here can accordingly also be driven and moved independently of other drive devices.

In order to prevent the transport carriage 40 from tilting in the transport direction or transversely to the transport direction, a support system 54 with support rollers is provided that rest on the support rail 44 and prevent a corresponding tilting of the transport carriage 40 in a manner known per se.

The transport carriage 40 comprises a fastening device 56 to which a workpiece 12 or a corresponding workpiece carrier for workpieces 12 can be fastened. For the fastening of vehicle bodies 14, the fastening device 56 in the present exemplary embodiment comprises a support profile 58 with bearing bolts 60, which cooperate in a manner known per se with counter elements on the vehicle body 14 so that the vehicle body 14 can be fixed on the fastening device 56 . The fastening device 56 can also have several sets of such bearing bolts 60, which are adapted to different vehicle bodies 14 with different dimensions and configurations, so that the fastening device 56 can be used flexibly for different vehicle body types. The fastening device 56 thus receives a vehicle body 14 directly without the vehicle body 14 being fastened to a workpiece carrier, such as, for example, a skid known per se.

The chassis 46 of the transport trolley 40 is coupled to the fastening device 56 by means of a connecting device 62. In the present exemplary embodiment, the connecting device 62 comprises at least one strut 64 pointing upwards, two struts 64 being present for reasons of stability; each existing strut 64 couples the chassis 46 of the transport carriage 40 to the fastening device 56.

The transport carriage 40 can be designed in such a way that it is able to travel through curved sections of the support rail 44. For this purpose, the chassis 46 of the transport cart 40 can be designed in particular with a preceding unit 66 and a subsequent unit 68, which are connected to one another in an articulated manner. The preceding unit 66 and the following unit 68 can each carry a drive roller 50 with a drive motor 52 with them.

If the trolley 40 is designed for cornering, the coupling between the chassis 46 and the fastening device 56 by the connecting device 62 is also set up in such a way that corresponding cornering is possible. For this purpose, the struts 64 are designed, for example, as articulated struts which, by means of a joint, allow the fastening device 56 to pivot about a vertical axis of rotation with respect to the chassis 46 of the transport carriage 40. Both the precursor unit 66 and the follower unit 68 can each be connected to a strut 64 or to a joint strut.

The treatment device 16 and the conveyor system 34 are coordinated with one another in such a way that only part of the conveyor system 34 moves in the treatment room 20, ie in the treatment tunnel 22, while the other part of the conveyor system 34 is moved outside the treatment room 20.

For this purpose, a guide area 70 is provided outside the treatment room 20 with a driving area 72 also arranged outside the treatment room 20, in which the rail system 42 is accommodated and in which the chassis 46 of a respective transport vehicle 40 moves. The treatment room 20 and the guide area 70 or the driving area 72 are separated at the top by a partition 74.

In the Figures 1, 2 and 11 vertical support pillars can be seen between the tunnel floor 28 and the plant floor, but they do not have their own reference number.

An arrangement of the guide area 70 “outside” the treatment room 20 is to be understood in such a way that there is a structural separation between the treatment room 20 and the guide area 70 by the aforementioned partition 74.

In the present exemplary embodiment, this partition wall 74 is a section 28a of the tunnel floor 28, the guide area 62 with the driving space 64 being arranged below this section 28a of the tunnel floor 28. In the present embodiment, the tunnel floor 28 has an overall angled course and has two sections 28b laterally next to the section 28a, which are offset downwards compared to the section 28a at their edges pointing towards the center of the treatment room 20, each with a vertical section 28c of the tunnel floor 28 the opposite edges of section 28a are connected.

In this embodiment, the driving space 72 overlaps in cross section with an upper region with the treatment space 20 and a lower region of the driving space 72 is arranged at a height level below the sections 28b of the tunnel floor 28.

In a modification, the tunnel floor 28 can also be flat, then a corresponding section 28a of the tunnel floor 28 forms the partition 74, this section 28a then merging in the lateral direction directly and in the same horizontal plane into sections 28c without there being any vertical sections 28b . The driving space 72 is then arranged completely at a level below the tunnel floor 28.

The driving space 72 is defined by a driving space housing 76, that is to say limited at least in certain areas. In the present embodiment, the driving space housing 76 comprises the vertical sections 28c of the tunnel floor 28 and its section 28a, ie the partition 74 to the treatment room 20. In addition, the driving space housing 76 includes two further housing walls 78, which extend in the longitudinal direction of the treatment room 20 and from the tunnel floor 28 extend below. In the Figures 1 to 10 The embodiments shown form these further housing walls 78 approximately a continuation of the vertical sections 28c of the tunnel floor 28 downwards. The driving space housing 76 can have a separate housing base; In the exemplary embodiments shown here, a corresponding section of the system floor takes on this task.

The driving space housing 76 is open on the end faces of the treatment device 16 at the tunnel entrance 36 or tunnel exit 38. In a modification, locks can also be present there; In any case, it must be possible for the transport trolleys 40 to enter the driving space 72 at the tunnel entrance 36 and to leave the driving space 72 again at the tunnel exit 38. Basically, the driving space housing 76 does not have to be made flow-tight or fluid-tight, although this can be provided as a modification.

The driving area 72 is connected to the treatment room 20 via a connecting passage 80 in the partition wall 74. The connecting passage 80 is complementary to the connecting device 62 of the transport cart 40 and the connecting device 62 extends through the connecting passage 80 in such a way that the fastening device 56 with the workpiece 12 is in the treatment room 20 and the chassis 46 of a transport cart 40 is in the driving room 72 are located.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the connecting passage 80 is straight and designed as a straight through slot or gap which extends between the tunnel entrance 36 and the tunnel exit 38 in the partition 74. The connecting passage 80 can also be angled, e.g. in cross section, for example, be designed like a labyrinth, in which case the struts 64 are designed to be complementary thereto.

Through the connecting passage 80, on the one hand, the tunnel atmosphere contaminated with pollutants, such as solvents and the like, can flow from the treatment room 20 into the driving area 72 and, on the other hand, the atmosphere from the driving area 72, which can be contaminated with abrasion or lubricants from the conveyor technology in the driving area 72, get into the treatment room 20. In order to prevent or at least mitigate this, a shielding device 82 is also present.

In the present exemplary embodiments, the shielding device 82 comprises a scalloped seal 84 in which a plurality of sealing lamellae 86 are arranged in an overlapping manner in the longitudinal direction of the treatment room 20 such that they cover the connecting passage 80 of the partition wall 74. The sealing lamellae 86 are in practice made of a bendable sheet metal or a temperature-resistant bendable one Plastic. Regardless of the material, the sealing lamellae 86 preferably have a width, ie an extension in the longitudinal direction of the treatment space 20, of approximately 10 cm to 20 cm, preferably 15 cm.

As in Figure 3 As can be seen, the transport carriages 40 carry an adjusting device 88 with them, by means of which the sealing lamellae 86 can be moved when the transport carriage 40 is moved through the treatment device 16. The sealing lamellae 86 are moved at the location and for the duration of the passage of the connecting device 62, ie in the present exemplary embodiment specifically the struts 64, through the connecting passage 80 from their sealing position on the connecting passage into a release position in which they are passed by the trolley 40 can.

When the trolley 40 enters the treatment device 16, the articulated struts 64 pass into the connecting passage 80, the adjustment device 88 pushing the sealing lamellae 86 out of the way, so that a corresponding passage window between the travel area 72 and the treatment room 20 is only ever in the area of the articulated struts 64 is available.

In connection with sealing lamellae, those skilled in the art are familiar with the jargon term "lamellae indicator". Such lamellae detectors are known and are used to push the lamellae of scale seals to the side, in particular at slots sealed thereby. The adjusting device 88 is accordingly designed in the manner of such a lamellar indicator.

There is a gas device 90, which is set up in such a way that a flow-through gas, in particular air, can be fed to the driving space 72 and at least a large part of the flow-through gas can be discharged again from the driving space 72 as exhaust gas without this flow-through gas, ie this large part of the Flow-through gas, through the connecting passage 80 passes into the treatment room 20. In the ideal case, the gas flowing through is completely discharged from the driving space 72 as exhaust gas. At least only a portion of the volume of the gas flowing through is allowed to pass from the driving space 72 into the treatment room 20, which does not cause any damage or loss of quality of the treatment result in the treatment room 20.

It may be unavoidable that, depending on local pressure and flow conditions in the driving space 72, a portion of the gas flowing through will pass through the connecting passage 80 upwards into the treatment space 20. As mentioned, this is not the case for the majority of the supplied flow-through gas.

On the one hand, the driving space 72 can be cooled in this way in comparison to the temperature conditions in the treatment room 20, so that the conveyor technology in the driving space 72 and in particular the transport trolleys 40 are not exposed to any thermal stresses or at least lower than those when they pass through the driving space 72 without the gas supply device 90. The gas flowing through in this case is consequently a cooling gas or, in this case, serves as a cooling gas.

On the other hand, aggressive or for other reasons undesirable constituents, which may get from the treatment room 20 through the connecting passage 80 into the driving space 72 and also use the conveying technology there, can be removed from the driving space 72, since these components are entrained by the gas flowing through and discharged from the driving space 72 with the exhaust gas. In this case, the flow-through gas is consequently a purge gas or in this case serves as a purge gas.

The gas device 90 is set up in such a way that the gas flowing through flows through the driving space 72 with a directional component transverse to the direction of movement of the transport trolleys 40.

The driving space housing 76 has one or more gas inlet openings 92, which are hereinafter referred to as gas inlets 92, and one or more gas outlet openings 94, which are hereinafter referred to as gas outlets 94. In the exemplary embodiments described here, several gas inlets 92 and several gas outlets 94 are provided. If only a single gas inlet 92 and / or a single gas outlet 94 is to be provided, these can be designed, for example, as a slot opening over the length of the driving space 72. In this case, the air distribution in the driving area 72 can take place, for example, by means of adjustable sliding plates in the driving area 72 or at the slot openings.

The gas inlets 92 are connected to a supply line system 96 of a supply system 98, through which gas can flow to the gas inlets 94. The gas outlets 94 are connected to a discharge line system 100 of a discharge system 102, through which the exhaust gas can flow away from the gas outlets 94 and be discharged.

The supply system 96 draws the gas flowing through from the ambient air of the treatment device 16, the gas flowing through in this case is therefore supply air and the exhaust gas is mainly exhaust air. For this purpose, the inlet line system 96 is fluidically connected to the surroundings of the treatment device 16 by one or more accesses. The ambient air used does not have to be filtered or otherwise conditioned.

The gas device 90 is set up in such a way that the volume flow Q [m ³ s ⁻¹ ] of the supplied through-flow gas at one or more gas inlets 92 can be set and / or that the volume flow Q [m ³ s ^-1 ] of the exhaust gas discharged can be set at one or more gas outlets 94.

For this purpose, the feed system 98 in the feed line system 96 comprises an active blowing device 104 and / or a passive inlet device 106 and / or, ie additionally or alternatively, the discharge system 102 in the discharge line system 100 comprises an active suction device 108 and / or a passive one Outlet device 110. The passive inlet device 106 and the passive outlet device 110 are in FIGS Figures 5 and 7th designated.

An active injection device 104 comprises one or more feed fans 112. An existing feed fan 112 can be connected to a single gas inlet 92 or to a plurality of gas inlets 92, for which the feed line system 96 is correspondingly complementary. In two extreme cases, a single feed fan 112 can be provided for all gas inlets 92 on the one hand, or a separate feed fan 112 can be assigned to each gas inlet 92 on the other hand.

A passive inlet device 106 comprises one or more inlet valve devices 114, by means of which the flow cross section for the gas flowing through can be changed. In the figures, such inlet valve devices 114 are illustrated as flap valves 116. An existing inlet valve device 114 can each be connected to a single gas inlet 92 or in each case to a plurality of gas inlets 92, for which the supply line system 96 is correspondingly complementary. In two extreme cases, a single inlet valve device 114 can be provided for all gas inlets 92 on the one hand, or a separate inlet valve device 114 can be assigned to each gas inlet 92 on the other hand.

An active suction device 108 comprises one or more discharge fans 118. An existing discharge fan 118 can each be connected to a single gas outlet 94 or to several gas outlets 94, to which the discharge line system 100 is correspondingly complementary. In two extreme cases, a single discharge fan 118 can thus be provided for all gas outlets 94 on the one hand or a separate discharge fan 118 can be assigned to each gas outlet 94 on the other hand.

A passive outlet device 110 comprises one or more outlet valve devices 120, by means of which the flow cross section for the exhaust gas from the driving area 72 can be changed. Such outlet valve devices 120 are also illustrated as flap valves 116 in the figures. An existing outlet valve device 120 can each be connected to a single gas outlet 94 or to a plurality of gas outlets 94, to which the discharge line system 100 is designed correspondingly complementary. In two extreme cases, on the one hand, a single outlet valve device 120 can be provided for all gas outlets 94 or, on the other hand, each gas outlet 94 can be assigned its own outlet valve device 120.

As explained at the outset, a safety system is established at the same time with several feed fans 112 and / or several discharge fans 118, since if one or more of the existing fans 112, 118 fails, the gas device 90 remains functional since the remaining functioning fans 112, 118 this or these defective fans 112, 118 can compensate. For this purpose, the remaining fans 112, 118 are then operated with a correspondingly higher power.

In the embodiment according to Figures 1 to 4 the feed system 98 comprises a separate feed fan 112 for each gas inlet 92. The feed line system 96 there comprises between each feed fan 112 and the respective one associated gas inlet 92 a separate supply line 122. There is no passive inlet device 106.

In a corresponding manner, the discharge system 102 comprises a separate discharge fan 118 for each gas outlet 94. There, the discharge line system 100 comprises a separate discharge line 124 between each gas outlet 94 and the associated discharge fan 118. There is no passive outlet device 110.

The volume flow at each gas inlet 92 or at each gas outlet 94 can be adjusted there by separately controlling the power for each feed fan 112 or for each discharge fan 118. This can be done, for example, by means of frequency converters, as is known per se. Such an individual control of the existing blower 112 or 118 is also possible in all other exemplary embodiments and variants described.

In the embodiment according to Figure 5 In addition, the passive inlet device 104 and the passive outlet device 110 are present. A flap valve 116 is arranged there in each separate supply line 122 and in each separate discharge line 124. The position of the flap valves can be upstream or downstream of the respective feed fan 112 or discharge fan 118.

Figure 6 shows an embodiment in which the supply system 98 has a supply fan 112 for a plurality of gas inlets 92. There, for example, three gas inlets 92 are connected as a group to the feed fan 112 via a multi-armed feed line 126 with three arms here. If only two or more than three gas inlets 92 cooperate with a common feed fan 112, the multi-armed feed line 126 accordingly has two or more than three arms.

In a corresponding manner, the discharge system 102 has a discharge fan 118 for a plurality of gas outlets 94. There are also three gas outlets 94 as an example Group connected to the discharge fan 118 via a multi-armed discharge line 128 with three arms here. If only two or more than three gas outlets 94 cooperate with a common discharge fan 118, the multi-armed discharge line 128 accordingly has two or more than three arms. With this arrangement, the volume flow can only be set in groups at the gas inlets 92 or at the gas outlets 94, which are connected to a controllable blower 112 or 118.

The in Figure 7 The embodiment shown, the passive inlet device 106 and the passive outlet device 110 are again provided in addition, in that a flap valve 122 is arranged in each arm of the multi-armed discharge line 128. In this way, in spite of a common feed fan 112 or discharge fan 118 at each gas inlet 92 or gas outlet 94, the volume flow can be specified individually by setting the associated flap valves 122 accordingly.

If the discharge system 102 comprises the active suction device 108, the feed system 98 can also only comprise the feed line system 96 without the passive inlet device 106 or the feed line system 96 with the passive inlet device 106, with no active injection device 104 being present. These modifications are not specifically shown in the figures.

If, in a corresponding manner, the supply system 98 comprises the active injection device 104, the discharge system 102 can also only comprise the discharge line system 100 without the passive outlet device 110 or the discharge line system 100 with the passive outlet device 110, with no active suction device 108 being present . These modifications are also not specifically shown in the figures.

In the Figures 1 to 7 In the illustrated embodiments, the gas inlets 92 and the gas outlets 94 are each arranged opposite one another in the direction transverse to the transport direction.

The Figures 8 and 9 show exemplary embodiments in which the gas inlets 92 and the gas outlets 94 are arranged offset from one another in the transport direction. Figure 8 illustrates a regularly alternating arrangement in which the distances between the gas inlets 92 and the gas outlets 94 are the same in the transport direction. The separate supply lines 122 and the separate discharge lines 124 are present there by way of example. Figure 9 shows an asymmetrical arrangement in which the distances between the gas inlets 92 and the gas outlets 94 in the transport direction are irregular and not always the same. As an example, the separate supply lines 122 are shown there in combination with the multi-armed discharge lines 128, which in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG Figure 9 are designed with two arms as a variant.

With such an offset of the gas inlets 92 and the gas outlets 94, the throughflow gas also flows with a directional component parallel to the direction of movement of the trolleys 40, this directional component being able to point in the direction of movement or against the direction of movement of the trolleys 40. As a result, an improved flow around the conveyor technology in the travel area 72 is achieved.

How Figure 10 As illustrated, the exhaust gas discharged from the driving space 72 can be guided through a conditioning device 130 which is connected to the discharge system 102 or its discharge line system 100. If necessary, the conditioning device 130 can be assigned a supporting conveyor fan 132, which differs from the one in FIG Figure 10 position shown can also be located upstream of the conditioning device 130.

The conditioning device 130 filters impurities out of the exhaust gas, for example. This conditioned gas then has a sufficient quality that it can be fed to a fresh air supply for the treatment device 16, in particular for the dryer 30, and in this way to the process in the treatment device 16. The conditioned gas is heated in a dryer 30 in a fresh air heat exchanger, as is known per se.

In order to monitor the temperature conditions in the driving area 72, temperature sensors can be provided there so that a temperature profile of the driving area 72 can be created. Depending on local sensor responses, the volume flow at certain gas inlets 92 and / or gas outlets 94 can be changed and adjusted by using the existing active and passive devices 104, 108 or 106, 110, i.e. Specifically, here the existing blowers 112, 118 and / or the existing flap valves 122 are controlled in such a way that the desired temperature distribution in the driving area 72 is ensured.

The components and parts of the gas device 90 can be attached at least in part to the side walls 24 of the treatment device 16. In one variant, it is ensured that these components and parts are accommodated in the spatial areas of the guide area 62 next to the driving space housing 76 so that they are arranged within the outer contour of the treatment device 16 projected onto the installation surface of the treatment device 16.

Figure 11 shows another modification of the driving space housing 76, in which the housing walls 78 are arranged further out and approximately form a continuation of the side walls 24 of the treatment device 16 downwards. In this case, the sections 28c of the tunnel floor 28 also form a part of the driving space housing 76.

While in the exemplary embodiments shown, all gas inlets 92 and all gas outlets 94 are each arranged on one side of the driving area housing 76, in a modification not specifically shown it can also be provided that both gas inlets 92 and gas outlets 94 are provided on each side of driving area 76, to which the supply line system 96 and the discharge line system 100 are adapted accordingly.

Depending on the design of the gas device 90, the volume flow Q [m ³ s ^-1 ] at the gas inlets 92 and the gas outlets 94 can be adapted to the operation of the treatment device 16 and in particular follow the path of a specific transport vehicle 40 through the driving area 72.

When a trolley 40 moves along the connecting passage 80, it is inevitable that in the area of the connecting device 62, namely in the area of the struts 64, a moving window opens between the driving space 72 and the treatment room 20 when the sealing lamellas 86 of the shielding device 82 be deflected upwards. This passage window can lead to a stronger heat transfer and a stronger atmospheric transfer from the treatment room 20 into the driving area 72.

If the volume flow Q at the gas inlets 92 present there is temporarily increased locally where a certain transport vehicle 40 is located, more heat can be removed from the gas flowing through. The atmosphere flowing into the driving space 72 from the treatment room 20 can also be effectively discharged locally in this way.

Appropriate control of the gas device 90 or the supply system 98 and / or the discharge system 102 can ensure that at the connecting passage 80 between the treatment room 20 and the driving area 20 there is no pressure difference through which atmosphere would pass from one room to the other. In the ideal case, balanced pressure conditions prevail, especially at the passage windows mentioned.

By means of the gas device 90, a pressure can be generated at least locally which at least largely corresponds to the local pressure in the treatment space 20 on the other side of the connecting passage.

Claims (19)

Treatment system for treating workpieces (12), in particular for coating and / or drying vehicle bodies (14), with a) a treatment device (16) with a housing (18) in which a treatment space (20) is accommodated; b) a conveyor system (34) which comprises a plurality of transport carriages (40) by means of which the workpieces (12) can be conveyed through the treatment room (20), each transport carriage (40) having a chassis (46) and a fastening device (56) ) for at least one workpiece (12), which are coupled to one another by means of a connecting device (62);
in which c) outside the treatment room (20) there is a guide area (70) with a driving area (72) for the chassis (46); d) the driving area (72) is connected to the treatment room (20) via a connecting passage (80) in such a way that the chassis (46) of a transport trolley (40) can be moved in the driving area (72) and the fastening device (56) in the Treatment room (20) is carried along and the connecting device (62) extends through the connecting passage (80),
characterized in that e) the driving space (72) is defined by a driving space housing (76); f) a gas device (90) is present, which is set up in such a way that a flow-through gas, in particular air, can be fed to the driving space (76) and at least a large part of the flow-through gas can be discharged again as exhaust gas from the driving space (76) without this flow-through gas reaches the treatment room (20) through the connecting passage (80). Treatment system according to Claim 1, characterized in that the gas device (90) is set up in such a way that the gas flowing through flows through the driving space (76) with a directional component transverse to a direction of movement of the trolleys (40). Treatment system according to Claim 2, characterized in that the gas device (90) is set up in such a way that the gas flows through the driving space (76) with a directional component parallel to a direction of movement of the transport trolleys (40). Treatment system according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the driving space housing (76) has one or more gas inlet openings (92) and one or more gas outlet openings (94). Treatment system according to claim 4, characterized in that the gas device (90) is set up in such a way that the volume flow Q [m ³ s ^-1 ] of the supplied through-flow gas can be set at one or more gas inlet openings (92) and / or that the volume flow Q [m ³ s ^-1 ] of the exhaust gas discharged can be set at one or more gas outlet openings (94). Treatment installation according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that a) one or more gas inlet openings (92) are connected to a supply line system (96) of a supply system (98) through which gas can flow through to the gas inlet openings (94), and the supply system (98) in the supply line system (96 ) has an active injection device (104) and / or a passive inlet device (106);
and or b) one or more gas outlet openings (94) connected to a discharge line system (100) of a discharge system (102) through which the exhaust gas can flow away from the gas outlet openings (94) and be discharged, and the discharge system (102) in the discharge system Line system (100) has an active suction device (108) and / or a passive outlet device (110). Treatment installation according to claim 6, characterized in that a) the active injection device (104) comprises one or more feed fans (112);
and or b) the passive inlet device (106) comprises one or more inlet valve devices (114), in particular flap valves (116), by means of which the flow cross section for the gas flowing through can be changed;
and or c) the active suction device (108) comprises one or more discharge fans (118);
and or d) the passive outlet device (110) comprises one or more outlet valve devices (120), in particular flap valves (116), by means of which the flow cross-section for the exhaust gas from the driving area (72) can be changed. Treatment plant according to claim 7, characterized in that a) a feed fan (112) is connected to a single gas inlet opening (92) or to a plurality of gas inlet openings (92);
and or b) an inlet valve device (114) is connected in each case to a single gas inlet opening (92) or in each case to a plurality of gas inlet openings (92);
and or c) a discharge fan (118) is connected to a single gas outlet opening (94) or to a plurality of gas outlet openings (94);
and or d) an outlet valve device (120) is connected in each case to a single gas outlet opening (94) or in each case to a plurality of gas outlet openings (94). Treatment system according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that there is a conditioning device (130) to which the exhaust gas can be supplied, the conditioned gas being able to be supplied to a fresh air supply for the treatment device (16). A method for treating workpieces (12), in particular for coating and / or drying vehicle bodies (14), comprising
the passage of workpieces (12) through a treatment room (20) by means of a conveyor system (34) which comprises a plurality of transport trolleys (40), each transport trolley (40) having a chassis (46) and a fastening device (56) for at least one Workpiece (12) which are coupled to one another by means of a connecting device (62), and wherein outside the treatment room (20) there is a guide area (70) with a driving area (72) for the chassis (46), which is provided via a connecting passage ( 80) is connected to the treatment room (20) in such a way that the chassis (46) of a trolley (40) can be moved in the driving area (72) and the fastening device (56) is carried along in the treatment room (20) and the connecting device ( 62) extends through the connecting passage (80),
characterized in that
the driving space (72) is defined by a driving space housing (76);
a gas device (90) is present, which is set up in such a way that a flow-through gas, in particular air, is fed to the driving space (76) and at least a large part of the flow-through gas is discharged again as exhaust gas from the driving space (76) without this flow-through gas the connecting passage (80) enters the treatment room (20). Method according to Claim 10, characterized in that the gas flowing through flows through the driving space (76) with a directional component transverse to a direction of movement of the transport carriages (40). Method according to Claim 11, characterized in that the gas flowing through flows through the driving space (76) with a directional component parallel to a direction of movement of the transport carriages (40). Method according to one of Claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the driving space housing (76) has one or more gas inlet openings (92) and one or more gas outlet openings (94). Method according to claim 13, characterized in that the volume flow Q [m ³ s ^-1 ] of the supplied through-flow gas can be adjusted at one or more gas inlet openings (92) and / or that the volume flow Q [m ³ s ^-1 ] of the discharged Exhaust gas can be adjusted at one or more gas outlet openings (94). Method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that a) one or more gas inlet openings (92) are connected to a supply line system (96) of a supply system (98), through which gas flows through to the gas inlet openings (94), and the supply system (98) in the supply line system (96) an active injection device (104) and / or a passive inlet device (106);
and or b) one or more gas outlet openings (94) connected to a discharge line system (100) of a discharge system (102) through which the exhaust gas flows away from the gas outlet openings (94) and is discharged, and the discharge system (102) in the discharge line system (100) has an active suction device (108) and / or a passive outlet device (110). Method according to claim 15, characterized in that a) the active injection device (104) comprises one or more feed fans (112);
and or b) the passive inlet device (106) comprises one or more inlet valve devices (114), in particular flap valves (116), by means of which the flow cross section for the gas flowing through can be changed;
and or c) the active suction device (108) comprises one or more discharge fans (118);
and or d) the passive outlet device (110) comprises one or more outlet valve devices (120), in particular flap valves (116), by means of which the flow cross-section for the exhaust gas from the driving area (72) can be changed. Method according to claim 16, characterized in that a) a feed fan (112) is connected to a single gas inlet opening (92) or to a plurality of gas inlet openings (92);
and or b) an inlet valve device (114) is connected in each case to a single gas inlet opening (92) or in each case to a plurality of gas inlet openings (92);
and or c) a discharge fan (118) is connected to a single gas outlet opening (94) or to a plurality of gas outlet openings (94);
and or d) an outlet valve device (120) is connected in each case to a single gas outlet opening (94) or in each case to a plurality of gas outlet openings (94). Method according to one of Claims 10 to 17, characterized in that exhaust gas is fed to a conditioning device (130) and the conditioned gas is fed to a fresh air supply for the treatment device (16). Method according to one of Claims 10 to 18, characterized in that ambient air from the vicinity of the treatment device (16) is used as the gas flowing through.

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