JP2005334785A - Liquid agent applying robot - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid agent applying robot with which desired application can be efficiently carried out. <P>SOLUTION: This liquid agent applying robot is provided with a liquid agent applying nozzle which is constituted so as to be capable of spraying the liquid agent in a liquid drop state without contacting, a liquid agent applying nozzle driving means which moves the liquid agent applying nozzle in a X-axis direction, a Y-axis direction and a Z-axis direction intersecting orthogonally with each other and a control means which positions the liquid agent applying nozzle by controlling the liquid agent applying nozzle driving means and further which performs control so that a continuous ejection signal is outputted at optional timing to make the liquid agent applying nozzle continuously eject the liquid agent. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to, for example, a liquid application robot that applies various liquid agents to a predetermined position of a workpiece, and particularly relates to a device that is devised so that desired liquid application can be efficiently performed.

As a conventional liquid agent application device, for example, there is one in which a head having a nozzle for ejecting liquid agent in droplets is attached to a robot. This robot moves the head to the teaching position, positions and stops, and applies the liquid at that point. And it is the structure which moves to the next point again and performs the same operation | movement. That is, a desired liquid agent is applied by repeatedly performing “positioning”, “stop”, and “point application”.

There is another type of liquid application robot. In this case, a head having a nozzle for injecting a liquid agent in a shower shape is attached to a robot. This robot moves the head while spraying the liquid agent in a shower shape and applies the liquid agent to a wide area of a linear or planar shape.
Further, as another type of liquid agent application robot, there is one that performs application in a linear form with the nozzle tip of the head close to the workpiece. This is a so-called “line coating robot”.

  Although not exactly the same as the above-described liquid coating robot, there are, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 that disclose this type of liquid coating robot.

JP 2000-24568 A JP 2003-80130 A

The conventional configuration has the following problems.
First, in the case of the first liquid application robot, there is no problem if the liquid application work is performed in a narrow area, but if the application area is spread in a line or plane, the application work There was a problem that it took a long time. That is, in the case of the former liquid application robot, the desired liquid application is performed by repeatedly performing “positioning”, “stop”, and “point application”.
This is because the stop operation is frequently executed.
In addition, the following liquid application robot has the following problems. That is, in the case of the liquid agent application robot that applies the liquid agent in a shower shape, the liquid agent is continuously discharged continuously. Therefore, when a small amount of a liquid material having a low viscosity and a property of spreading is applied to a linear or planar narrow area, there is a problem that it is difficult to control the coating amount.
The last liquid application robot is suitable for applying a high-viscosity material in a linear or planar manner, but for applying a small amount of a low-viscosity material that spreads over a narrow area to the above two areas. As in the case of the second liquid agent application robot, it is difficult to finely control the application amount. Further, since it is necessary to bring the nozzle close to the workpiece to be coated, it is not suitable for a workpiece having unevenness.

  The present invention has been made based on such points, and an object thereof is to provide a liquid agent application robot capable of efficiently performing desired application.

In order to achieve the above object, a liquid agent application robot according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a liquid agent application nozzle configured to be able to inject a liquid agent in a non-contact manner in a droplet state, and a liquid agent application nozzle drive for moving the liquid agent application nozzle. And the liquid agent application nozzle drive means to control the movement of the liquid agent application nozzle and to output the continuous discharge signal at an arbitrary timing to control the liquid agent to be discharged continuously while moving the liquid agent application nozzle. Means.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the liquid agent application robot according to the first aspect, wherein the control means controls the liquid agent application nozzle driving means and outputs a discharge signal at a predetermined timing; And a discharge control device that inputs a discharge signal from the controller and outputs a continuous discharge signal.
The liquid application robot according to claim 3 is the liquid application robot according to claim 2, wherein the control means adjusts the liquid application amount by adjusting the frequency of a continuous discharge signal output from the discharge control device. It is characterized by being.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the liquid agent application robot according to the second aspect, wherein the control means has a duty ratio (T1 / T2, T1: discharge time) of the continuous discharge signal output from the discharge control device. (T2: discharge time interval) is adjusted to adjust the liquid application amount.
Moreover, the liquid agent application robot according to claim 5 is the liquid agent application robot according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control means confirms the presence or absence of positional deviation after the liquid agent application operation is completed. When it is determined that there is a positional deviation, an alarm is output.
The liquid application robot according to claim 6 is the liquid application robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the liquid application nozzle driving means is arranged in an X-axis direction, Y It is characterized by being moved in the axial direction and the Z-axis direction.

As described above, according to the liquid agent application robot according to the present invention, the liquid agent application nozzle configured to be able to spray the liquid agent in a non-contact manner in the form of droplets, the liquid agent application nozzle driving means for moving the liquid agent application nozzle, and the above And a control means for controlling the liquid application nozzle driving means to position the liquid application nozzle and outputting a continuous discharge signal at an arbitrary timing to control the liquid application nozzle to discharge continuously. Therefore, when applying the liquid agent to the necessary range, it is possible to finish the desired liquid agent application in a short time by continuously discharging while continuously operating the liquid agent application nozzle without frequently stopping operation. . Also, the coating accuracy is high.
If the control means is configured to adjust the liquid application amount by adjusting the frequency and duty ratio (T1 / T2, T1: discharge time, T2: discharge time interval) of the continuous discharge signal, the application amount This makes it easier to control and improves the accuracy.
In addition, when the control means is configured to check the presence or absence of a positional deviation after the liquid application operation is completed and determine that there is a positional deviation, an alarm is output to prevent the occurrence of defective products. It is effective.
Further, when the liquid application nozzle driving means is configured to move the liquid application nozzle in the X axis direction, the Y axis direction, and the Z axis direction orthogonal to each other,
The liquid application nozzle can be moved and positioned within a three-dimensional range.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a view showing a configuration of a liquid application robot according to the present embodiment, and there is a Y-axis guide device 1, which is connected to a Y-axis servo motor 3 and the Y-axis servo motor 3. Y-axis ball screw / ball nut means 5 and the like. A moving base is attached to the ball nut of the Y-axis ball screw / ball nut means, and an X-axis guide device 7 is attached to the moving base.

  The X-axis guide device 7 includes an X-axis servo motor 9 and an X-axis ball screw / ball nut means 11 connected to the X-axis servo motor 9. A moving base is attached to the ball nut of the X-axis ball screw / ball nut means, and a Z-axis guide device 13 is attached to the moving base.

  The Z-axis guide device 13 includes a Z-axis servo motor 15 and Z-axis ball screw / ball nut means 17 connected to the Z-axis servo motor 15. A head is attached to the ball nut of the Z-axis ball screw / ball nut means 17, and a liquid application nozzle 19 is attached to the head. The liquid application nozzle 19 is configured to be appropriately movable in the X, Y, and Z axis directions by the Y axis guide device 1, the X axis guide device 7, and the Z axis guide device 13. Then, the liquid agent is applied to a predetermined portion of the work 21 by the liquid agent application nozzle 19.

  The liquid application nozzle 19 is configured so that the liquid can be ejected in the form of droplets in a non-contact manner.

  On the other hand, a control means 22 for controlling the Y-axis guide device 1, the X-axis guide device 7, the Z-axis guide device 13, and the liquid agent application nozzle 19 is provided. The control means 22 includes a robot controller 23 and a discharge control device 25. The robot controller 23 controls the Y-axis guide device 1, the X-axis guide device 7, and the Z-axis guide device 13, and controls the liquid agent application nozzle 19 via the discharge control device 25. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, a discharge signal is output from the robot controller 23 to the discharge control device 25. Further, the discharge control device 25 outputs a continuous discharge signal to the valve of the liquid application nozzle 19.

  In the vicinity of the workpiece 21, a standby position 31, a wiping station 33, and a discarding station 35 are installed. There is a container (not shown) at the standby position, and a liquid agent is accommodated in the container. And when the said liquid application nozzle 19 exists in a standby position, it is immersed in the liquid agent in this container. Accordingly, the liquid agent at the tip of the liquid application nozzle 19 is prevented from being cured. In the wiping station 33, the liquid agent adhering to the tip of the liquid application nozzle 19 is wiped off. In the discarding station, discarding by the liquid application nozzle 19 is executed to check whether or not the liquid is normally discharged.

Based on the above configuration, the operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, the liquid application nozzle 19 is waiting at the standby position. Start in that state. First, in step S1, a wiping operation of the liquid application nozzle 19 is executed. That is, the liquid application nozzle 19 is moved to the blowing station 33 and the blowing operation is executed there. Next, the process proceeds to step S2, and it is determined whether or not the discharge is “OK”. That is, the liquid application nozzle 19 is moved to the discarding station 35 where the discarding is performed. If it is determined that the discharge is “NG”, the process proceeds to step S3. In step S3, an alarm is output. And it transfers to step S4 and returns the liquid agent application nozzle 19 to a standby position. Therefore, necessary maintenance and inspection are performed.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2 that the discharge is “OK”, the process proceeds to step S5. In this step S5, the liquid agent application nozzle 19 moves to the application start point 1. Next, the process proceeds to step S6, and the discharge signal is turned on. The continuous discharge signal is output when the discharge signal is “ON”. Next, it transfers to step S7 and the liquid agent application nozzle 19 starts a movement. At the same time, continuous discharge of the liquid agent is executed. Next, the process proceeds to step S8, and the liquid application nozzle 19 finishes moving.

  Next, the process proceeds to step S9, and the discharge signal is turned “off”. The first liquid agent application operation is completed by the operations up to here. Next, the process proceeds to step S10 and moves to the application start point 2. Next, the process proceeds to step S11, and the discharge signal is turned on. The continuous discharge signal is output when the discharge signal is “ON”. Next, it transfers to step S12 and the liquid application nozzle 19 starts a movement. At the same time, continuous discharge of the liquid agent is executed. Next, it transfers to step S13 and the liquid agent application nozzle 19 complete | finishes a movement. Next, the process proceeds to step S14, and the discharge signal is turned off. Thus, the second liquid agent application operation has been completed.

  Thereafter, the same process is repeated n times. That is, the process proceeds to step Sn1 and moves to the application start point n. Next, the process proceeds to step Sn2 and the ejection signal is turned on. Next, the process proceeds to step Sn3, and the liquid application nozzle 19 starts moving. Next, the process proceeds to step Sn4, and the liquid application nozzle 19 finishes moving. Next, the process proceeds to step Sn5, and the discharge signal is turned off.

  Next, the process proceeds to step Sn6 to determine whether or not the positional deviation is “OK”. If the positional deviation is “NG”, the process proceeds to step S3. On the other hand, if the positional deviation is “OK”, the process proceeds to step S4. And it ends.

  Next, control of the coating amount of the liquid agent will be described. In the case of the present embodiment, the application amount of the liquid agent is controlled by adjusting the frequency and duty ratio of the continuous discharge signal output from the discharge control device 25. This will be specifically described below. 4, 5, and 6 are diagrams illustrating an example of control. First, as shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a waveform diagram showing a continuous discharge signal, and the discharge time (T1) is set to 10 msec. The discharge time interval (T2) is set to 50 msec. The frequency is 20 Hz and the duty ratio (T1 / T2) is 20%.

  Next, in the case shown in FIG. 5, in this case, compared to the case shown in FIG. 4, the discharge time (T1) is set equal to 10 msec, but the discharge time interval (T2) is 20 msec. It is set short. The frequency is 50 Hz and the duty ratio (T1 / T2) is 50%. That is, by setting the discharge time interval (T2) to be short, the number of discharges is increased, thereby increasing the discharge amount.

Next, in the case shown in FIG. 6, in this case, compared to the case shown in FIG. 4, the discharge time interval (T2) is set to be the same as 50 msec, but the discharge time (T1) is 30 msec. And set longer. The frequency is 20 Hz and the duty ratio (T1 / T2) is 60%. That is, by setting the discharge time (T1) to be long, the number of discharges is the same, but the discharge amount is increased.
As described above, the application amount of the liquid agent is controlled by adjusting the frequency and duty ratio of the continuous discharge signal output from the discharge control device 25.

  Next, an actual application example will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, there are two application points A and B on the work 21, and the liquid agent is applied by continuous discharge while moving the liquid application nozzle 19 with respect to these two application points A and B. is there. The following will be described sequentially.

First, as shown in step S5 in FIG. 3, the liquid application nozzle 19 is moved to the first application start point A. Next, as shown in step S6, the ejection signal is turned on. Thereby, a continuous discharge signal is output and the liquid application nozzle 19 starts to move (step S7). Then, continuous application of the liquid is performed.
As shown in the upper part of FIG. 7, the discharge signal is “on” during that time, and the continuous discharge signal is set to a predetermined frequency and duty ratio.

Next, when the liquid application to the application point A is completed, the movement of the liquid application nozzle 19 is completed (step S8), and the ejection signal is turned off (step S9). Then, movement to the next application point B is started (step S10). Then, when the next application point B is reached, the same operation as described above is executed. That is, the discharge signal is turned “ON” (step S11). As a result, a continuous discharge signal is output and the liquid application nozzle 19 starts moving (step S12). Then, continuous application of the liquid is performed. Also in this case, the discharge signal is `` ON ''
In this state, the continuous discharge signal is set to a predetermined frequency and duty ratio. Next, when the liquid application to the application point B is completed, the movement of the liquid application nozzle 19 is completed (step S13), and the discharge signal is turned off (step S14).

In this case, since the necessary liquid application has been completed, the positional deviation is checked (step Sn6). If there is no position shift, the process returns to the standby position 31 (step S4), and if there is a position shift, an alarm is output (step S3).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
First, it has become possible to apply a desired liquid agent in a short time. This is because the moving operation is continuously performed without frequently stopping the liquid application nozzle 19.
In addition, the liquid agent is not sprayed in the form of a shower, but is continuously ejected, so a small amount of liquid material with low viscosity and the property of spreading wet is applied to a narrow area of linear or planar shape. Even in the case of applying only, it became possible to apply with high accuracy.
Further, the application amount can be easily controlled by appropriately adjusting the frequency and duty ratio of the continuous discharge signal.
In addition, since the positional deviation is checked after the application is completed, the occurrence of defective products can be prevented.

The present invention is not limited to the one embodiment.

The present invention relates to, for example, a liquid application robot that applies various liquid agents to a predetermined position of a workpiece, and particularly relates to a device that is devised so that desired liquid application can be efficiently performed.

It is a figure which shows one embodiment of this invention, and is a figure which shows the structure of the whole liquid agent application | coating robot. It is a figure which shows one embodiment of this invention, and is a block diagram which shows the structure of a control apparatus. It is a figure which shows one embodiment of this invention, and is a flowchart for demonstrating an effect | action. It is a figure which shows one embodiment of this invention, and is a figure which shows the frequency and duty ratio of a continuous discharge signal. It is a figure which shows one embodiment of this invention, and is a figure which shows the frequency and duty ratio of a continuous discharge signal. It is a figure which shows one embodiment of this invention, and is a figure which shows the frequency and duty ratio of a continuous discharge signal. It is a figure which shows one embodiment of this invention, and is a time chart for demonstrating liquid agent application | coating operation | movement.

Explanation of symbols

1 Y-axis guide device 7 X-axis guide device 13 Z-axis guide device 19 Liquid application nozzle 21 Work piece 23 Robot controller 25 Discharge control device

Claims (6)

A liquid application nozzle configured to be able to spray the liquid in a droplet state in a non-contact manner;
A liquid application nozzle driving means for moving the liquid application nozzle;
Control means for controlling the liquid agent application nozzle driving means to control the movement of the liquid agent application nozzle and outputting a continuous discharge signal at an arbitrary timing to control the liquid agent to be continuously discharged while moving the liquid agent application nozzle;
A liquid application robot characterized by comprising: The liquid medicine application robot according to claim 1,
The control means controls the liquid agent application nozzle driving means and outputs a discharge signal at a predetermined timing; a discharge control device that inputs a discharge signal from the robot controller and outputs a continuous discharge signal; A liquid application robot characterized by comprising: In the liquid medicine application robot according to claim 2,
The liquid application robot characterized in that the control means adjusts the liquid application amount by adjusting the frequency of a continuous discharge signal output from the discharge control device. In the liquid medicine application robot according to claim 2,
The control means adjusts the liquid application amount by adjusting the duty ratio (T1 / T2, T1: discharge time, T2: discharge time interval) of the continuous discharge signal output from the discharge control device. A fluid application robot characterized by In the liquid medicine application robot according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The liquid control robot is characterized in that after the liquid application operation is completed, the control means checks whether or not there is a positional deviation, and outputs an alarm if it is determined that there is a positional deviation. In the liquid medicine application robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The liquid agent application nozzle driving means moves the liquid agent application nozzle in the X axis direction, the Y axis direction, and the Z axis direction orthogonal to each other.

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