JP2005152802A - Coating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coating apparatus the productivity of which is improved by automating brush exchange. <P>SOLUTION: The coating apparatus is provided with a cartridge which is loaded with a plurality of brushes 3. The base part 5 of the brush 3 attached to a robot arm 2 is inserted into a notch part formed in the cartridge in a state where a bristle member 6 is directed downward. By performing the axial translocation of the robot arm 2 upward in this condition, the flange 9 of the base part 5 of the brush 3 is engaged with the lower edge face of the notch part and connection of a socket 8 provided at the brush 3 with a ball pin 15 provided at an adapter 4 is disconnected to remove the brush 3 from the robot arm 2. The robot arm 2 from which the brush 3 is removed is made to approach each brush 3 loaded onto the cartridge from above and the socket 8 provided at each brush 3 is coupled with the ball pin 15 provided at the adapter 4 to mount the brush 3 on the robot arm 2. Consequently, the brush 3 can be automatically exchanged and productivity is sharply improved. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a coating apparatus used for coating a primer or the like, and more particularly to a coating apparatus in which a brush is operated by a robot arm.

  In general, when a primer is applied to a window glass of an automobile, an application device is used in which the primer is automatically supplied to a brush attached to the tip of a robot arm. In such a coating apparatus, the primer is applied to a predetermined portion of the window glass by moving the brush operated by the robot arm along the designated route. For example, Patent Document 1 includes a bristle member that has a fixed portion in which one end of a large number of bristles is bundled and fixed, and a hole provided in the center of the fixed portion, and a base located on the back side of the fixed portion. A base member having a base portion and having a tube portion protruding from the center of the base portion and passing through the hole and extending into the inside of the hair; and screwed into the base portion to support the fixing portion; and A coating brush device having a holding member for converging the outer periphery is disclosed. This application brush device is configured so that the bristle member, the base member, and the holding member can be divided, and when the brush is worn, only the bristle member is replaced, thereby reducing the running cost. In this application brush device, when the bristle member (brush) is replaced, first, the holding member screwed to the base member is rotated and removed from the base member, and then the new bristle member is removed from the base member and the holding member. Then, the holding member is rotated and screwed into the base member.

Thus, since the base member and the holding member are fastened with screws, the above-described application brush device rotates the holding member to be attached to and detached from the base member when replacing the bristle member. Since it is necessary to insert the brush) between the base member and the holding member, it is extremely difficult to automate the replacement work of the bristle member, and a great amount of cost is required. Further, the replacement of the bristle member is a complicated and time-consuming operation and time, and the productivity is remarkably reduced.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-19556 (paragraph numbers 0013 to 0019, FIG. 1)

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a coating apparatus that automates the replacement of brushes and improves productivity.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention is a coating apparatus in which a coating material is applied by a brush operated by a robot arm, and the robot arm and the brush can be attached and detached with one touch. And an attachment / detachment mechanism, and a cartridge in which a plurality of brushes are loaded so as to be attached to the robot arm.
The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the attachment / detachment mechanism includes an adapter attached to the robot arm, and includes a ball pin provided on one of the adapter and the brush and a socket provided on the other. It is formed.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the first or second aspect, the brush is provided with a flange at a base portion connected to the adapter, and the cartridge has a notch formed by notching an end surface. And the outer peripheral portion of the base of the brush is inserted and retracted in the notch direction, and the attachment / detachment mechanism is configured so that the brush is orthogonal to the notch direction with the base inserted in the notch. The connection between the ball pin and the socket is released by moving in the direction and locking the flange to the edge of the notch.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, a brush collecting means for collecting the brush detached from the adapter is provided below the notch portion of the cartridge.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the brush loaded in the cartridge is attached to the robot arm with one touch.
In the invention described in claim 2, the brush is detachably attached to the robot arm via the adapter by the attaching / detaching mechanism.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the brush is operated by the robot arm to position the outer peripheral portion of the base in a state where it is inserted into the notch of the cartridge, and in this state, the brush is moved in a direction perpendicular to the notch direction. By doing so, the flange formed on the base is locked to the edge of the notch, and the connection between the ball pin and the socket of the attachment / detachment mechanism is released, whereby the brush is detached from the adapter (robot arm).
In the invention described in claim 4, the brush detached from the adapter (robot arm) is recovered by the brush recovery means.

  It is possible to provide a coating apparatus that automates the replacement of the brush and improves the productivity.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The coating apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is formed by attaching a brush 3 to an end of an articulated robot arm 2 detachably by an attachment / detachment mechanism via an adapter 4. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the brush 3 is formed by binding a bristle member 6 to a base portion 5 on which an outer cylindrical surface 5a is formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the brush 3 is provided with an application material feed passage 7 through which a primer (application material) is sent to the bristle member 6 on the axis of the base 5. Further, the brush 3 is provided with a socket 8 disposed on the axis of the base 5 and connected to the coating material feeding passage 7 on the connection surface 5 b of the base 5 with the adapter 4. The brush 3 has a side surface 9a at a predetermined angle with respect to the axis of the base portion 5 on one side of the outer cylindrical surface 5a of the base portion 5 (the side opposite to the side on which the connection surface 5b of the base portion 5 with the adapter 4 is formed). A flange 9 is provided so as to form the following. The adapter 4 has an application material feed passage 7 formed in the base portion 5 of the brush 3 and an application material feed passage 11 formed in the robot arm 2 on the axis of the base portion 10 where the outer cylindrical surface 10a is formed. A coating material feeding passage 12 communicated with the coating material is provided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the adapter 4 is disposed on the connection surface 10 b with the robot arm 2 on the axis of the base 10 and is screwed to the connection surface 2 a with the adapter 4 of the robot arm 2. A screw portion 14 to be screwed into the screw hole 13 is provided. Further, the adapter 4 is disposed on the connecting surface 10c of the base 10 with the brush 3 on the axis of the base 10 and is axially oriented with respect to the socket 8 formed on the base 5 of the brush 3 (paper surface in FIG. 2). A ball pin 15 that is connected and detached by one touch by being moved in the vertical direction) is provided. The attaching / detaching mechanism of the coating apparatus 1 includes a socket 8 provided on the brush 3 and a ball pin 15 provided on the adapter 4. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the base 10 of the adapter 4 is formed with two planes 16 parallel to the axial plane on both sides of the axis, and a tool is associated with each plane 16. The adapter 4 is attached to and detached from the robot arm 2 by rotating the screw portion 14 of the adapter 4 around the screw hole 13 of the robot arm 2 around the axis.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, in the coating apparatus 1, a cartridge 17 in which a plurality of brushes 3 are loaded is installed within the operating range of the robot arm 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the cartridge 17 is formed in a disc shape, and a plurality of (11 in the present embodiment) brush accommodating portions 18 in which the brushes 3 are accommodated are concentric circles about the axis. It is arranged on every predetermined angle phase (in this embodiment, every 30 degrees). Further, as shown in FIG. 5, each brush accommodating portion 18 supports the brush 3 by bringing the inner cylindrical surface 18 a accommodating the base portion 5 of the brush 3 into contact with the side surface 9 a of the flange 9 of the brush 3. The brush support surface 18b to be made and the hole 18c through which the bristle member 6 of the brush 3 is inserted are formed. Then, the coating apparatus 1 positions the adapter 4 attached to the robot arm 2 on the same axis with respect to the brush 3 accommodated in one brush accommodating portion 18 of the cartridge 17, and in this state, the adapter is used by the robot arm 2. 4 is moved downward in the axial direction of the brush 3 (downward as viewed in FIG. 5), and the ball pin 15 provided on the base 10 of the adapter 4 is coupled to the socket 8 provided on the base 5 of the brush 3. The brush 3 is attached to the robot arm 2 with one touch.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the cartridge 17 is formed from the outer peripheral surface of the cartridge 17 toward the center, and the width W is larger than the diameter D <b> 1 (see FIG. 3) of the base portion 5 of the brush portion 3. And the notch part 19 smaller than the diameter D2 (refer FIG. 3) of the flange 9 is provided. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the coating apparatus 1 causes the base 5 of the brush 3 to be inserted into the notch 19 of the cartridge 17 by the robot arm 2, and in this state, the brush 3 is inserted into the brush 3 by the robot arm 2. 3 is moved upward in the axial direction (upward as viewed in FIG. 7B), the flange 9 formed on the base 5 of the brush 3 is locked to the lower end edge of the notch 9. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the coupling between the socket 8 of the coupling (detachment mechanism) and the ball pin 15 is released and the brush 3 is detached from the robot arm 2 (adapter 4). The coating apparatus 1 is configured such that the brush 3 detached from the robot arm 2 is collected by a brush collection box 20 (brush collection means) shown in FIG.

  Next, the operation of the coating apparatus 1 will be described. When the brush 3 attached to the robot arm 2 is worn (in this embodiment, the brush 3 is set to be replaced every time it is used for 2 hours), first, as shown in FIG. The brush 3 is positioned near the notch 19 of the cartridge 17 by the robot arm 2. At this time, the brush 3 is positioned at a position where the axis is vertically arranged, the bristle member 6 is directed downward, and the flange 9 is lower than the lower surface of the cartridge 17. In this state, the brush 3 is horizontally moved toward the notch 19 of the cartridge 17 by the robot arm 2, and the base 5 of the brush 3 is inserted into the notch 19 as shown in FIG. In this state, the robot arm 2 is axially moved upward in the vertical direction, whereby the flange 9 of the brush 3 is locked to the lower end edge surface of the notch 19 of the cartridge 17. As a result, the coupling (detachment mechanism) formed by the socket 8 provided on the brush 3 and the ball pin 15 provided on the adapter 4 is released, and as shown in FIG. It is detached from the arm 2 (adapter 4) with one touch. At this time, the brush 3 detached from the robot arm 2 is collected in the brush collection box 20 shown in FIG.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the robot arm 2 coaxially arranges the brush 3 with respect to the designated brush 3 among the brushes 3 in which the adapter 4 is loaded in the cartridge 17 (by the robot controller). Positioned upward. In this state, when the robot arm 2 is axially moved downward in the vertical direction, the socket 8 provided on the brush 3 accommodated in the brush accommodating portion 18 and the ball pin 15 provided on the adapter 4 are formed. The coupling is coupled, and the new brush 3 is attached to the robot arm 2 (adapter 4) with one touch as shown in FIG.

This embodiment has the following effects.
The coating apparatus 1 has an adapter 4 interposed between the robot arm 2 and the brush 3, and is coupled with a socket 8 provided on the connection surface 5 b of the brush 3 and a ball pin 15 provided on the connection surface 10 c of the adapter 4. (Removal mechanism) is formed, and the brush 3 and the adapter 4 arranged on the same axis are moved relative to each other in the proximity direction on the axis, and the socket 8 provided on the brush 3 and the ball pin 15 provided on the adapter 4 are coupled. By doing so, the brush 3 is attached to the robot arm 2 (adapter 4), and the brush 3 and the adapter 4 are moved relative to each other in the axial direction to release the connection between the socket 8 and the ball pin 15. The brush 3 is detached from the robot arm 2 (adapter 4).
Therefore, the coating apparatus 1 can attach and detach the brush 3 to and from the robot arm 2 with one touch.
In addition, the coating apparatus 1 includes a cartridge 17 in which a plurality of brushes 3 are loaded, and a base portion of the brush 3 attached to the robot arm 2 (adapter 4) in a notch portion 19 formed in the cartridge 17. 5 is inserted with the bristle member 6 directed downward, and the robot arm 2 is pivoted upward in this state, whereby the flange 9 of the base 5 of the brush 3 is engaged with the lower end edge of the notch 19. The robot arm from which the brush 3 is detached by removing the connection between the socket 8 provided on the brush 3 and the ball pin 15 provided on the adapter 4 is released and the brush 3 is detached from the robot arm 2 (adapter 4). 2 (adapter 4) is brought close to each brush 3 loaded in the cartridge 17 from above, and the socket 8 provided on each brush 3 and the ball pin 15 provided on the adapter 4 are coupled. The Rukoto, brush 3 is attached to the robot arm 2 (adapter 4).
Therefore, the coating apparatus 1 can automatically perform the replacement of the brush 3 and the productivity is greatly improved.
Furthermore, since the brush 3 detached from the robot arm 2 is collected in a brush collection box 20 (brush collection means) installed below the notch 19 of the cartridge 17, the coating apparatus 1 performs post-processing. Is easy.

In addition, embodiment is not limited above, For example, you may comprise as follows.
In the coating apparatus 1, the socket 8 is provided on the connection surface 5 b of the brush 3 and the ball joint 15 is provided on the connection surface 10 c of the adapter 4 to form a coupling (detachment mechanism). The joint (attachment / detachment mechanism) may be formed by providing the joint 15 and the socket 8 on the connection surface 10 c of the adapter 4.

It is a general view of this coating device. It is explanatory drawing of this coating device, Comprising: It is an exploded view of a robot arm, an adapter, and a brush. It is explanatory drawing of this coating device, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the state with which the brush was mounted | worn with the robot arm via the adapter. It is a top view of a cartridge. It is explanatory drawing of this coating device, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the state by which the adapter with which the robot arm was mounted | worn was positioned above the brush loaded in the cartridge. It is explanatory drawing of this coating device, Comprising: (a) is a top view which shows the state by which the brush was positioned in the predetermined position with respect to the notch part of a cartridge, when removing a brush from a robot arm, (b) ) Is a front view of (a). It is explanatory drawing of this coating device, Comprising: (a) is a top view which shows the state by which the brush was inserted in the notch part from the state of FIG. 6, (b) is a front view of (a). It is explanatory drawing of this coating device, Comprising: A robot arm is axially moved upwards in the state of FIG. 7, and is a figure which shows the state by which the brush was removed from the robot arm 2 (adapter 4).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coating device, 2 Robot arm, 3 Brush, 4 Adapter, 5 Base part (5a outer peripheral surface), 8 Socket (detaching mechanism), 9 Flange, 15 Ball pin (detaching mechanism), 17 Cartridge, 19 Notch part, 20 Brush Collection box (brush collection means)

Claims (4)

  An applicator for applying an application material by a brush operated by a robot arm, wherein an attachment / detachment mechanism for attaching and detaching the robot arm and the brush with one touch, and a plurality of the brushes are loaded so as to be attachable to the robot arm. And a cartridge.   2. The coating according to claim 1, wherein the attachment / detachment mechanism includes an adapter attached to the robot arm, and is formed by a ball pin provided on one of the adapter and the brush and a socket provided on the other. apparatus.   The brush is provided with a flange at a base connected to the adapter, and the cartridge is provided with a notch formed by notching an end surface. The notch has a base of the brush. The outer peripheral portion is inserted and withdrawn in the notch direction, and the attachment / detachment mechanism moves the brush in a direction perpendicular to the notch direction with the base inserted in the notch portion, and the edge of the notch portion. The application device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connection between the ball pin and the socket is released by locking the flange. 4. The coating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a brush collecting means for collecting the brush detached from the adapter is disposed below the notch of the cartridge.

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