JP2004298665A - Method for applying protective layer-forming material - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely and efficiently apply a protective layer-forming material by pressing a roller appropriately corresponding to the surface shape of a vehicle when the material is applied on the outer surface of the vehicle by using the roller attached to a robot. <P>SOLUTION: A roller mechanism part 34 is fitted as an end effector to the tip part of the robot. The roller 48 fed with the protective layer-forming material can oscillate around an oscillation axis 82. The maximum angle θ2 of the inclination angle θ between the straight line L from the oscillation axis 82 to the axial center O of the roller 48 and the application surface of the vehicle 14 coated with the material is increasingly set up according to the curvature of the application surface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for applying a protective layer-forming material to an outer surface mainly of a painted portion of a painted vehicle, and more particularly to a liquid protective layer acting as a peelable protective layer after drying. The present invention relates to a method for applying a protective layer forming material for applying a forming material.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Vehicles such as automobiles are often stored in outdoor stock yards or transported by trailers, boats, etc. before being handed to a user after manufacturing. During this time, the vehicle is exposed to dust, metal powder, salt, oil, acid, direct sunlight, etc. Quality may be affected. In order to prevent such a situation, a method is known in which a peelable protective layer is formed on a painted portion at a stage before shipment of a vehicle (for example, see Patent Document 1). The peelable protective layer is formed by applying and drying a protective layer forming material (also called a strippable paint), which is a liquid wrap material, and can protect the painted portion. In addition, it can be easily peeled at the time of removal, and does not peel naturally during normal storage.
[0003]
In the step of applying the protective layer forming material before the releasable protective layer is dried, the protective layer forming material is attached to the roller, and a plurality of workers roll the roller to apply the protective layer forming material.
[0004]
A method of extracting such a protective layer forming material on a body and then blowing the air to spread the protective layer forming material in order to automate such work, reduce the burden on the worker, and uniformize the coating quality. Has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 2). According to this method, much of the work in the step of applying the protective layer forming material is automated, and the burden on the operator can be reduced, and the tact time can be improved, which is preferable.
[0005]
In a factory that produces vehicles, a resin cover called a scratch cover may be temporarily attached so as not to damage the body during the assembling work. The scratch cover is temporarily attached to, for example, a front lateral surface of the body and is removed before shipment. It is necessary to prepare a scratch cover having a different shape for each vehicle type, and further, it is necessary to prepare a large number of scratch covers according to the daily production number on the transfer line.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-89697 A (paragraphs [0022] to [0027])
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-8-173882 (FIG. 1)
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 2 described above, the degree of spreading of the protective layer forming material is not always uniform, and the method is applied to the edge of the roof in order to prevent the protective layer forming material from scattering. Not.
[0008]
Furthermore, the body of recent automobiles is becoming more and more complicated, and some have uneven portions and complicated curved surfaces. It is difficult to spread the protective layer forming material on such uneven portions and curved surfaces using an air nozzle. Furthermore, it is necessary to apply a thicker protective layer forming material to places where coating quality is particularly important, but it is difficult to adjust the thickness of the coating film when spreading the protective layer forming material with an air nozzle. It is.
[0009]
For this reason, after spreading the protective layer forming material with the air nozzle, several workers need to apply the protective layer forming material to the details such as the edge and unevenness of the roof with a roller to perform the finishing process. There is. Therefore, the coating process of the protective layer forming material partially relies on manual work, which imposes a burden on the operator, and the coating quality varies depending on the skill of the operator.
[0010]
In order to reduce such worker's work and to make the work quality uniform, an industrial robot is employed, and the robot is provided with a roller for applying a protective layer forming material to a vehicle. Will be considered.
[0011]
By the way, when the worker applies the protective layer forming material using the roller, an appropriate force is applied according to the shape and the curvature of the application surface, and the holder holding the roller is maintained at an appropriate angle. Rollers are rolling. In this case, the worker adjusts the pressing force and the angle of the holder almost unconsciously according to the skill level.
[0012]
The skills of such workers are not quantified and cannot be applied to the operation of the robot. Further, even if the skill of the worker is quantified, the value is not necessarily appropriate for the robot as it is, and it is necessary to set an appropriate application method applicable to the operation of the robot.
[0013]
The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and when applying a protective layer forming material to the outer surface of a vehicle using a roller provided on a robot, the roller is formed according to the surface shape of the vehicle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for applying a protective layer forming material, which can be appropriately pressed so that the protective layer forming material can be applied reliably and efficiently.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A method for applying a protective layer forming material according to the present invention includes a robot provided near a transport line of a vehicle and capable of performing a teaching operation, a roller mechanism unit connected to the robot and having a rotatable roller, and a swing shaft. A rocking mechanism for swinging the roller in a direction perpendicular to the axis with the liquid as a center, and supplying a liquid protective layer forming material acting as a peelable protective layer after drying to the roller, According to the magnitude of the curvature of the application surface of the vehicle on which the layer forming material is applied, the maximum angle of the inclination angle, which is an angle between the straight line connecting the axis of the roller and the axis of the roller and the application surface, is increased. It is characterized by setting.
[0015]
As described above, by setting the maximum angle of the inclination angle to be increased according to the magnitude of the curvature of the application surface, the roller can be appropriately pressed according to the surface shape of the vehicle.
[0016]
In this case, for the surface having the smallest curvature among the application surfaces on which the protective layer forming material is applied, the inclination angle is set to 25 ° to 35 °, and for the surface having the largest curvature among the application surfaces. Preferably, the inclination angle is set to 25 ° to 65 °.
[0017]
Further, when a pressing means for pressing the roller against the application surface is provided, the pressing force of the roller against the application surface of the vehicle can be compensated.
[0018]
Further, the robot may be moved at a low speed in accordance with the increase in the inclination angle.
[0019]
Furthermore, when an acrylic copolymer agent is used as the material of the protective layer forming material, the painted portion of the vehicle can be more reliably protected, and is easily peeled off when removed.
[0020]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a method for applying a protective layer forming material according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached FIGS.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 1, a protective layer forming material applying apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is provided on a transport line 12 of an automobile, and applies a protective layer forming material to a vehicle 14 which has completed painting. Is what you do. In the wagon-type vehicle 14, the bonnet portion 14a generally has a surface with a complicated shape and a large curvature, and the roof portion 14b has a substantially flat surface. Although not shown, a trunk portion of a sedan-type vehicle generally has a substantially flat surface.
[0022]
The coating apparatus 10 includes three robots 16a, 16b, and 16c, which are industrial robots, a control unit 18 that controls the entire system, a tank 20 containing a protective layer forming material, and each robot from the tank 20. It has an application material pipe 22 communicating with 16a, 16b, 16c, and a water pipe 26 for supplying water from a water supply source 24 to the robots 16a, 16b, 16c. The robots 16a, 16b, 16c are controlled by robot controllers 28a, 28b, 28c connected to the control unit 18, respectively.
[0023]
The robots 16a and 16c are provided on the transport line 12 on the left hand side in the traveling direction of the vehicle 14, and the robot 16b is provided on the right hand side in the traveling direction. The robot 16a is provided in the forward direction, the robot 16b is provided in the middle of the travel direction, and the robot 16c is provided in the rear direction. The robots 16a, 16b, 16c can move on a slide rail 30 parallel to the transport line 12.
[0024]
A pump 32 is provided in the middle of the coating material pipeline 22, and sucks the protection layer forming material from the tank 20 and supplies it to the robots 16a, 16b, and 16c. The material for forming the protective layer is controlled by a heater (not shown) and a thermometer so as to be at an appropriate temperature. A roller mechanism 34 to which the protective layer forming material is supplied by the coating material pipe 22 is provided at the tip of each of the robots 16a, 16b, 16c.
[0025]
The material of the protective layer forming material is mainly composed of an acrylic copolymer agent, and preferably has two acrylic copolymer portions having different glass transition temperatures. Specifically, for example, a protective layer forming material disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above may be used. The viscosity of the protective layer forming material can be adjusted by changing the mixing ratio with water and the temperature, and when dried, the material closely adheres to the vehicle 14 so that dust, metal powder, salt, oil, acid, direct sunlight, etc. Thus, the painted portion of the vehicle 14 can be chemically and physically protected. Further, when removing the vehicle 14 to the user at the time of delivery or the like, the vehicle 14 can be easily peeled off.
[0026]
As shown in FIG. 2, the robots 16a, 16b, and 16c are, for example, articulated robots for industrial use, and a base part 40, a first arm 42, a second arm An arm 44 and a third arm 46 are provided, and the roller mechanism 34 is provided at the tip of the third arm 46. The roller mechanism 34 is detachable from the third arm 46 and functions as a so-called end effector. The first arm 42 is rotatable about axes J1 and J2 that are horizontally and vertically rotatable with respect to the base 40. The second arm 44 is rotatably connected to the first arm 42 about a shaft J3. The second arm 44 can be twisted and rotated by the axis J4. The third arm 46 is rotatably connected to the second arm 44 about a shaft J5. The third arm 46 can be twisted and rotated by the axis J6.
[0027]
By the operation of the robots 16a, 16b, and 16c having such a six-axis configuration, the roller mechanism unit 34 connected to the distal end can be moved to an arbitrary position near the vehicle 14 and set in an arbitrary direction. It is possible. In other words, the roller mechanism 34 can move in six degrees of freedom. Each of the robots 16a, 16b, and 16c may have an operation unit such as a telescopic operation and a parallel link operation in addition to the rotation operation.
[0028]
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the roller mechanism unit 34 is attached to the distal end of the third arm 46 and has a cylindrical roller 48 made of a material capable of absorbing and storing the protective layer forming material. A thrust rotation mechanism 69 which is a mounting portion for the third arm 46 of the robot 16a. The thrust rotating mechanism 69 includes a mounting member 70 for the third arm 46, a thrust rotating member 74 rotatably supported by the mounting member 70 via a bearing 72, and a thrust rotating member 74. And a base 76 attached thereto.
[0029]
The roller mechanism 34 includes pneumatic cylinders (pressing means) 78 and 80 provided at both ends of the base 76 and a swing shaft 82 swingably supported by a swing shaft 82 at a substantially lower end of the base 76. It has a moving member 84, and a holder connecting portion 88 connecting the holder 86 holding the roller 48 and the swinging member 84. The roller 48 is swingable about a swing shaft 82. The swinging member 84 has two upwardly extending portions 84a extending upward, and a pin 90 parallel to the swinging shaft 82 is provided at a substantially upper end of the upwardly extending portion 84a. The pin 90 is set above the swing shaft 82. Further, the roller mechanism 34 has two pin pressing members 92 and 94 that rotate about the swing shaft 82 by receiving forces from the rods 78a and 80a of the pneumatic cylinders 78 and 80. The pressing surface 92a of the pin pressing member 92 presses the left surface of the pin 90 in FIG. 5 when the rod 78a is retracted, and the pressing surface 94a of the pin pressing member 94 is pressed when the rod 80a is retracted. Press the right side of.
[0030]
Two lower extending portions 76a extending downward from the base portion 76 are arranged between the two upper extending portions 84a, and pressing surfaces 92a and 94a are arranged between the two lower extending portions 76a. Have been.
[0031]
The thrust rotating member 74 is provided with a rotation regulating member 96, and a small projection 98 projecting downward from the mounting member 70 is arranged in a concave portion 96 a on the upper surface of the rotation regulating member 96. The width of the small protrusion 98 is slightly smaller than the width of the concave portion 96a, and the thrust rotating member 74 is rotatable in the thrust direction in the range of this gap. Here, the thrust direction is a direction orthogonal to the axis O of the roller 48 itself, and is a rotation direction about the axis C of the third arm 46. The bolt 100 for attaching the attachment member 70 to the third arm 46 may also serve as the small projection 98.
[0032]
The holder connection portion 88 is provided with two clampers 102 and 104 that are opposed at the upper and lower portions. These clampers 102 and 104 hold an aluminum pipe 106, and the swing member 84 and the holder 86 are connected by the aluminum pipe 106. An annular groove 106 a is provided on the surface of the aluminum pipe 106.
[0033]
Both ends of the roller 48 are rotatably held by a holder 86, and the coating material pipeline 22 communicates with the inside of the roller 48 via one end of the holder 86. The roller 48 is detachable from the holder 86.
[0034]
As shown in FIG. 6, a combined hydraulic and pneumatic circuit 150 for supplying the protective layer forming material to the roller 48 includes a compressor 152, an air tank 154 connected to a discharge section of the compressor 152, A manual pneumatic pressure input valve 156 for switching between supply and cutoff, a regulator 158 for reducing the secondary pressure by an electric signal supplied from the control unit 18, and a pilot operation by the secondary pressure of the regulator 158 to perform coating. And a regulator operating valve 160 for reducing the pressure in the material pipe 22. Further, the composite circuit 150 includes an MCV (Material Control Valve, supply switching valve) 162 to which the secondary pipe and the water pipe 26 of the regulator operation valve 160 are connected, and a roller between the secondary side of the MCV 162 and the roller 48. And a trigger valve 164 provided. Inside the MCV 162, there are provided switching valves 162a and 162b for switching between communication and shutoff of the coating material pipeline 22 and the water pipeline 26, and the secondary sides of the switching valves 162a and 162b are in communication. The broken line in FIG. 6 indicates a pneumatic pipeline.
[0035]
The MCV 162, the trigger valve 164, and the regulator operation valve 160 are not limited to the pneumatic pilot type, and may be of a drive type such as an electric solenoid.
[0036]
The composite circuit 150 further includes an MCV switching electromagnetic valve 166 that operates the switching valves 162a and 162b in a pilot manner by switching the air pressure supplied from the pneumatic input valve 156, and a trigger switching electromagnetic valve that pilot-operates the trigger valve 164. 168. The MCV switching electromagnetic valve 166 connects one of the switching valves 162a and 162b and shuts off the other, and switches between water and the protective layer forming material and supplies the same to the trigger valve 164 by an electric signal supplied from the control unit 18. I do. The trigger switching electromagnetic valve 168 switches the trigger valve 164 to the open / closed state by an electric signal supplied from the control unit 18, and supplies water or the protective layer forming material to the roller 48.
[0037]
In the middle of the coating material pipe 22 and the water pipe 26, manual stop valves 170 and 172 are provided, respectively. Normally, stop valves 170 and 172 are kept in communication. In the composite circuit 150, silencers 174 are provided at the air outlets, respectively, to reduce exhaust noise. The compressor 152, the pump 32, and the water supply source 24 are provided with a relief valve (not shown) for preventing an excessive rise in pressure.
[0038]
Note that the compressor 152, the air tank 154, the water supply source 24, and the pump 32 in the composite circuit 150 are common to each of the robots 16a, 16b, and 16c, and the other devices are individually provided for each of the robots 16a, 16b, and 16c. ing.
[0039]
Next, a method of applying the protective layer forming material to the vehicle 14 using the protective layer forming material applying apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described.
[0040]
First, the robots 16a, 16b, 16c are taught in advance how to apply the protective layer forming material. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, a straight line connecting the axis O of the roller 48 and the swing shaft 82 is defined as L, and the inclination angle θ between the straight line L and the surface of the vehicle 14 becomes an appropriate angle. Teaching. Here, the surface of the vehicle 14, which is a reference for obtaining the inclination angle θ, has a tangent line M (see FIG. 8) in a direction perpendicular to the axis O of the roller 48 at a point P (see FIG. 8) where the roller 48 contacts the vehicle 14. ).
[0041]
The maximum angle θ2 (see FIG. 7) of the inclination angle θ is set in accordance with the curvature of the surface of the vehicle 14, and is applied to a substantially flat surface such as the roof portion 14b or a trunk portion (not shown). In this case, the maximum angle θ2 is set small, and the moving speeds of the robots 16a, 16b, and 16c are set high. Further, when applying to a surface having a large curvature like the bonnet portion 14a (see FIG. 8), the maximum angle θ2 is set large and the moving speeds of the robots 16a, 16b, 16c are set low. The operation direction of the robots 16a, 16b, 16c is a direction in which the swing member 84 is inclined with respect to the roller 48.
[0042]
In this manner, on the substantially flat application surface, by setting the maximum angle θ2 to be small, the weight of the roller 48 can be effectively used as a pressing force on the vehicle 14. Further, since the robots 16a, 16b, 16c can be operated at a high speed, a coating operation can be performed in a short time on a coating surface having a large area such as the roof portion 14b. Further, on the application surface having a large curvature, the roller 48 can be surely brought into close contact with the application surface by setting the maximum angle θ2 to be large. In this case, the operation speed of the robots 16a, 16b, 16c is set to a low speed. However, in the general vehicle 14, the application surface having a large curvature has a small area, and the application operation can be performed within a predetermined tact time.
[0043]
According to the results of experiments conducted by the inventor of the present application, for a substantially flat coating surface, the minimum angle θ1 is set to 25 ° and the maximum angle θ2 is set to 35 °, and the inclination angle θ is selectively set within this range. Good to do. For a coating surface having a large curvature, the minimum angle θ1 is set to 25 ° and the maximum angle θ2 is set to 65 °, and the inclination angle θ may be selectively set within this range.
[0044]
In other words, the surface having the smallest curvature among the application surfaces on which the protective layer forming material is applied to the vehicle 14 can be regarded as substantially flat, and the inclination angle θ is set to 25 ° to 35 ° with respect to this application surface. It is good to set. Further, the inclination angle θ is preferably set to 25 ° to 65 ° with respect to the surface having the largest curvature among the application surfaces on which the protective layer forming material is applied.
[0045]
The minimum angle θ1 (= 25 °) on a substantially flat surface and the minimum angle θ1 (= 25 °) on a surface with a large curvature have the same value, but this is because the application surface with a large curvature has a complicated surface shape. This is because the inclination angle θ may be set small depending on the type of vehicle and the application surface.
[0046]
The moving speeds of the robots 16a, 16b, 16c may be set, for example, so as to decrease proportionally as the inclination angle θ increases. In this manner, the curvature of the application surface, the inclination angle θ, and the moving speeds of the robots 16a, 16b, 16c are associated, and each parameter can be easily set.
[0047]
Further, when teaching the operation of the robots 16a, 16b, 16c, the posture of the third arm 46 can be set arbitrarily if the position of the swing shaft 82 is determined. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the third arm 46 may be set in a slightly upright posture, or as shown in FIG. 9, the third arm 46 may be set on the axis of the swing member 84. Good.
[0048]
The robots 16a, 16b, and 16c are taught to share the hood portion 14a (see FIG. 1) and the roof portion 14b of the vehicle 14 and apply the protective layer forming material to each assigned portion, and control the teaching data taught. The information is recorded and stored in a predetermined recording unit of the unit 18. When the vehicle 14 is a sedan type, the robot 16c shares a trunk portion.
[0049]
The process of applying the protective layer forming material is instructed to be completed within the tact time set for each vehicle 14 on the transport line 12.
[0050]
Next, when applying the protective layer forming material to the vehicle 14, the protective layer forming material is heated to an appropriate temperature by a predetermined heater, and the compressor 152, the water supply source 24, and the pump 32 are operated. Further, the robots 16a, 16b, and 16c are made to wait at a position where they do not interfere with the vehicle 14, and the pneumatic input valve 156 is communicated.
[0051]
Next, the vehicle 14 on which painting has been completed is carried in by the transport line 12, and stopped near the robots 16a, 16b, and 16c. The control unit 18 recognizes that the vehicle 14 has been loaded by a signal or a sensor (not shown) supplied from the transport line 12, and operates each of the robots 16a, 16b, and 16c based on the teaching data.
[0052]
At this time, the controller 18 controls the regulator operating valve 160 via the regulator 158 (see FIG. 6), and controls the application material pipe 22 to an appropriate pressure. Further, the control unit 18 controls the MCV 162 via the MCV switching electromagnetic valve 166 to make the coating material pipe 22 communicate with the water pipe 26. Further, the control unit 18 operates the trigger switching electromagnetic valve 168 to make the trigger valve 164 communicate. The protective layer forming material is supplied to the roller 48 of the roller mechanism 34 while maintaining an appropriate pressure and an appropriate temperature by the operation of the control unit 18, and an appropriate amount of the material exudes on the surface of the roller 48.
[0053]
Further, the thickness of the protective layer forming material applied to the vehicle 14 can be adjusted by controlling the pressure by the regulator 158, controlling the operating speed of the robots 16a, 16b, 16c and controlling the force applied to the rods 78a, 80a.
[0054]
When applying the protective layer forming material to the vehicle 14 while moving the robot 16a to the right in FIG. 7, air is applied to the right pneumatic cylinder 80 so that a relatively weak force Fa is generated in the direction in which the rod 80a contracts. Supply. In addition, air is supplied to the left pneumatic cylinder 78 so that the rod 78a extends. By doing so, the pressing surface 94a of the right pin pressing member 94 presses the right side of the pin 90 with a relatively weak force, and the pressing surface 92a of the left pin pressing member 92 is separated from the pin 90. Therefore, the swing member 84 and the roller 48 receive a counterclockwise force about the swing shaft 82, and the roller 48 is pressed against the surface of the vehicle 14 with an appropriate pressing force. The force Fa may be appropriately adjusted according to the application location of the roller 48 and the moving method.
[0055]
When applying the protective layer forming material to the vehicle 14 while moving the robot 16a to the left in FIG. 10, air is applied to the left pneumatic cylinder 78 so as to generate a relatively weak force Fa in the direction in which the rod 78a contracts. Supply. In addition, air is supplied to the right pneumatic cylinder 80 so that the rod 80a extends. By doing so, the pressing surface 92a of the left pin pressing member 92 presses the left side surface of the pin 90 with a relatively weak force, and the pressing surface 94a of the right pin pressing member 94 is separated from the pin 90. Accordingly, the swing member 84 and the roller 48 receive a clockwise force about the swing shaft 82, and the roller 48 is pressed against the surface of the vehicle 14 with an appropriate pressing force.
[0056]
As described above, by controlling the direction and pressure of the flow of air supplied to the pneumatic cylinders 78 and 80 according to the traveling direction of the robot 16a, the roller 48 can be appropriately pressed against the surface of the vehicle 14. it can. In other words, the own weight of the roller 48 can be effectively used as the pressing force, and the pressing force insufficient with the own weight can be compensated by the pneumatic cylinder 78 or the pneumatic cylinder 80. In particular, the roller 48 can be brought into close contact with the application surface even in a place where the surface of the vehicle 14 is not horizontal.
[0057]
Thereby, the roller 48 does not run idle or jump when passing through the concave portion or the convex portion. In addition, the protective layer forming material easily exudes from the roller 48. At this time, since the roller 48 can swing about the swing shaft 82, the protective layer forming material can be applied while being surely brought into close contact with the concave portion and the convex portion.
[0058]
A pin pressing member 92 connected to the rod 78a of the pneumatic cylinder 78 and a pin pressing member 94 connected to the rod 80a of the pneumatic cylinder 80 press the pressing member 94 in a direction opposite to the swing member 84 via the pin 90. Therefore, the swinging member 84 can be properly operated even when the swinging member 84 is inclined in either the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction. Thereby, the protective layer forming material can be applied to both the right direction and the left direction.
[0059]
Further, since the maximum angle θ2 of the inclination angle θ is set small on the substantially flat coating surface, the moving speed of the robots 16a, 16b, and 16c can be increased, and the protective layer forming material can be efficiently used. Can be applied. Since the application operation is relatively easy on the substantially flat application surface, the protective layer forming material can be applied reliably even when the moving speed of the robots 16a, 16b, 16c is high.
[0060]
Further, since the maximum angle θ2 of the inclination angle θ is set large on the application surface having a large curvature, the protective layer forming material can be applied reliably.
[0061]
When applying the protective layer forming material, the vehicle 14 may be an unfinished vehicle to which the components are not attached, as long as the vehicle 14 has already been coated.
[0062]
The vehicle 14 to which the protective layer forming material has been applied by the robots 16a, 16b, 16c is transported by the transport line 12 to the next step. The robots 16a, 16b, and 16c evacuate to a standby posture that does not interfere with the vehicle 14, and waits until the next vehicle 14 is carried in. At this time, the trigger valve 164 is shut off to stop the supply of the protective layer forming material.
[0063]
The applied protective layer forming material is dried naturally or while being blown to form a peelable protective layer to protect the painted portion of the vehicle 14.
[0064]
In the embodiment described above, the pressing force is applied to the swinging member 84 by the pneumatic cylinders 78 and 80, and the roller 48 is surely brought into close contact with the surface of the vehicle 14. It is not limited to the cylinders 78 and 80. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, a spring 200 may be used to press the roller 48 against the surface of the vehicle 14 by the elastic force of the spring 200. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, the pressing means may be omitted and only the swing mechanism may be used.
[0065]
Also in these configurations, the inclination angle θ of the swing member 204 can be defined based on the straight line L connecting the swing shaft 202 and the axis O. As the operation teaching of the robots 16a, 16b, 16c, when the protective layer forming material is applied to the substantially flat application surface, the inclination angle θ is set small, and the moving speed of the robots 16a, 16b, 16c is set high. Good to do. When the protective layer forming material is applied to the application surface having a large curvature, the inclination angle θ may be set large, and the moving speed of the robots 16a, 16b, and 16c may be set low.
[0066]
Furthermore, in the above-described vehicle 14, the hood portion 14a has a large curvature and the roof portion 14b is substantially flat. However, it is needless to say that the roof portion 14b can be applied to various vehicles. In other words, the maximum angle θ2 of the inclination angle θ may be set based on the curvature of the surface, and is not limited by each part of the vehicle 14 such as the hood portion 14a and the roof portion 14b.
[0067]
As described above, according to the method for applying a protective layer forming material according to the present embodiment, the roller mechanism unit 34 including the roller 48 is operated by the robots 16a, 16b, and 16c, and the protective layer forming material is supplied to the roller 48. By doing so, the process of applying the protective layer forming material can be automated, and the coating quality can be made uniform.
[0068]
In addition, by setting the maximum angle θ2 of the inclination angle θ to be large according to the magnitude of the curvature of the application surface, the roller 48 can be appropriately pressed according to the surface shape of the vehicle 14.
[0069]
Further, the peelable protective layer formed by the protective layer forming material can protect the painted portion after the vehicle 14 is shipped, but can also protect the painted portion in a factory and can be used as a substitute for a scratch cover. . Therefore, it is possible to omit a large number of scratch covers having different shapes for each vehicle type.
[0070]
Some bumpers of the vehicle 14 are colored and do not require painting, but the protective layer forming material may be applied to a portion other than the painted portion such as the bumper.
[0071]
The method for applying the protective layer forming material according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but may employ various steps without departing from the gist of the present invention.
[0072]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the method for applying a protective layer forming material according to the present invention, when applying the protective layer forming material to the outer surface of the vehicle using a roller provided on a robot, the surface shape of the vehicle is reduced. Accordingly, the roller can be appropriately pressed to apply the protective layer forming material reliably and efficiently.
[0073]
Furthermore, by using an acrylic copolymer as a material of the protective layer forming material, the vehicle can be more reliably protected, and it is easy to peel off when removing.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus for applying a protective layer forming material used in the present embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a robot and a roller mechanism provided in the robot.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a roller mechanism.
FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged front view of a roller mechanism section.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional side view of a roller mechanism.
FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing a combined hydraulic and pneumatic circuit.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between the robot and a surface of the vehicle in a process of moving a robot having a roller mechanism to the right in the roof of the vehicle.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between the robot and a surface of the vehicle in a process of moving a robot having a roller mechanism to the right in a hood portion of the vehicle.
FIG. 9 shows the position of the robot and the surface of the vehicle when the third arm of the robot is set on the axis of the swing axis in the process of moving the robot having the roller mechanism to the right in the roof of the vehicle. It is a schematic diagram which shows a relationship.
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between the robot and a surface of the vehicle in a process of moving a robot having a roller mechanism to the left on the roof of the vehicle.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a roller mechanism using a spring as a pressing unit.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a roller mechanism without a pressing unit.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Coating device 12 ... Conveying line 14 ... Vehicle 16a, 16b, 16c ... Robot 18 ... Control part 20 ... Tank 22 ... Coating material pipe 26 ... Water pipe 30 ... Slide rail 32 ... Pump 34 ... Roller mechanism part 48 ... Roller 69 thrust rotating mechanism 70 mounting member 72 bearing 74 thrust rotating member 78, 80 pneumatic cylinder 78a, 80a rod 82, 202 swing shaft 84, 204 swing member 86 holder 90 pin 92 94: pin pressing member 92a, 94a: pressing surface 150: composite circuit 200: spring C, O: axis L: straight line M: tangent θ: inclination angle θ1: minimum angle θ2: maximum angle

Claims (5)

A robot provided near the transport line of the vehicle and capable of teaching operation;
A roller mechanism unit connected to the robot and including a rotatable roller;
A rocking mechanism for rocking the roller in a direction perpendicular to the axis with the rocking axis as a center,
Using
Supplying a liquid protective layer forming material acting as a peelable protective layer after drying to the roller,
In accordance with the magnitude of the curvature of the application surface of the vehicle to which the protective layer forming material is applied, the maximum angle of the inclination angle, which is the angle between the straight line connecting the pivot axis and the axis of the roller and the application surface, is increased. A method for applying a material for forming a protective layer, wherein the method comprises: The method for applying a protective layer forming material according to claim 1,
For the surface with the smallest curvature among the application surfaces, the inclination angle is set to 25 ° to 35 °,
The method for applying a protective layer forming material, wherein the inclination angle is set to 25 ° to 65 ° with respect to the surface having the largest curvature among the applied surfaces. The method for applying a protective layer forming material according to claim 1 or 2,
A method for applying a protective layer forming material, comprising: pressing means for pressing the roller against the application surface. The method for applying a protective layer forming material according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The method for applying a protective layer forming material, wherein the robot is moved at a low speed in accordance with the increase in the inclination angle. The method for applying a protective layer forming material according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The method of applying a protective layer forming material, wherein the material of the protective layer forming material is an acrylic copolymer agent.

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