JP2007069133A - Apparatus for supplying paint and system equipped with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a apparatus for supplying a paint which decreases a loss caused by discarding the paint and has a low equipment cost. <P>SOLUTION: The apparatus for supplying the paint 10 having a paint hose 15C inserted with a pig 16 therein to reciprocate in the paint hose 15C by the paint, a cleaning solution and air flowing through the paint hose 15C is provided with first and second pig stations 13A, 14A, which emit the pig 16 into the paint hose 15C or catch the pig 16 moving through the paint hose 15C, at both ends of the paint hose 15C. Each of the first and second pig station 13A, 14A has a station main body in which a main path communicating with the paint hose 15C is formed and has a stopper catching the pig 16 in the main path. When the stopper catches the pig 16, the paint, the cleaning solution and air can pass through the main path over the pig 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a coating material supply apparatus that is preferably applied to an automobile production line and the like, and a coating system including the same.

  For example, a coating apparatus that performs coating such as intermediate coating or top coating on an automobile body is provided with a paint supply apparatus that supplies paint to a coating gun or the like. As this paint supply device, a circulation type, a cartridge type, and the like are conventionally known.

  A circulation-type paint supply device is composed of a paint storage chamber called a paint supply chamber and a paint gun in a paint booth provided at a sufficient distance from the paint storage chamber using a large circulation pipe. The paint is supplied from the paint storage chamber to the paint gun through this pipe. In the paint supply apparatus having such a configuration, a number of pipes corresponding to the number of paint colors is provided.

  The cartridge-type paint supply device includes a paint cartridge filled with an amount of paint necessary for painting one vehicle body, a storage device for storing a plurality of paint cartridges, and a paint cartridge taken out from the storage device And a cartridge transport device for loading the coating robot into the painting robot. In the coating material supply apparatus having such a configuration, the coating material is supplied by automatically setting the coating material cartridge in the coating robot.

  However, in the circulation type paint supply device, since the distance from the paint storage chamber to the paint gun is long, a large amount of paint is required to circulate in the circulation pipe. The paint of the previous color is collected using a pig at the time of color change. However, since the paint is collected only in the circulation pipe, the paint remaining in the branch pipe cannot be collected and the waste of paint is large. In addition, there are paint colors with a small number of productions depending on the vehicle type, and this kind of paint circulates in the paint pipe for a long time, so the paint may deteriorate or the paint conditions such as viscosity may change. Not a few. In such a case, since all of the paint charged in the paint pipe must be discarded and replaced with a fresh paint, the waste of paint is also large in this respect.

  On the other hand, the cartridge-type paint supply device requires a large-scale device for automatically setting the paint cartridge to the painting robot, and requires a large installation space, which increases the equipment cost. There is.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a paint supply apparatus that reduces waste paint loss and has a low equipment cost, and a coating system including the paint supply apparatus.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a paint supply apparatus having a paint pipe having a pig inserted therein, wherein the pig reciprocates in the paint pipe by a fluid flowing in the paint pipe. And a launching and landing part that fires the pig into the paint pipe or captures the pig moving through the paint pipe is provided at both ends of the paint pipe, and at least one of the landing parts is: In the state in which the main passage communicating with the paint pipe is formed inside and outside the main body and the capturing means for capturing the pig in the main passage, the capturing means captures the pig, A paint supply device is provided that allows fluid to pass through the main passage beyond the pig.

  In the present invention, the structure of the paint supply device is simplified by reciprocating the pig in the paint pipe instead of circulating it in the circulation pipe. As a result, the amount of paint to be filled in the paint pipe is halved, so that the paint waste loss can be reduced. Also, the cost of equipment can be reduced by eliminating the circulation system that tends to be relatively complicated in structure.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, in a state where the capturing means captures the pig, the configuration allows the fluid to pass through the seed passage beyond the pig, so that the paint piping can be cleaned in both directions and the cleaning performance is improved. To do. This also facilitates cleaning of the pig itself.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a paint supply apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a first pig station in the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 4A is a front view showing a stopper used in the first pig station shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 4B is a sectional view taken along line IVB-IVB in FIG. 4A, and FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the 2nd pig station in 1st Embodiment of invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the coating material supply apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is for selecting a coating material to be supplied to a coating apparatus having a coating gun 2 and a coating material pump 3 from among various types of coating materials. A main color change valve unit (hereinafter also referred to as a main CCV) 11 is provided, and the paint supplied from the main CCV 11 is guided to the paint gun 2 via the paint pump 3.

  The main CCV 11 is configured by providing a plurality of (six in the figure) switching valves 112 a to 112 f on the manifold 111. Paint is supplied to each of the switching valves 112a to 112f, and the paint is supplied into the manifold 111 by selecting any one of the switching valves 112a to 112f. To be supplied. Each of the switching valves 112a to 112f is provided with a dump valve for discharging waste liquid outside in addition to a valve for supplying paint to the manifold 111. For example, the cleaning liquid can be discharged to the outside during cleaning. Yes. Each of the switching valves 112a to 112f can be opened and closed based on a control signal from a control device (not shown).

  As a representative of the switching valves 112a to 112f to which paint is supplied, FIG. 1 shows a detailed structure of the switching valve 112f. The switching valves 112a to 112e other than the switching valve 112f can be configured in the same manner as the switching valve 112f. Alternatively, the main supply pipe from the paint tank may be directly connected to the switching valves 112a to 112e. good.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the switching valve 112f that is representatively connected is connected to the sub-passage 131d of the first pig station 13A via the first paint hose 15A. One end of the main passage 131a of the first pig station 13A is connected to the cleaning valve unit 12 via the second paint hose 15B. The other end of the main passage 131a of the first pig station 13A is connected to one end of the third paint hose 15C. The other end of the third paint hose 15C is connected to one end of the main passage 141a of the second pig station 14A. The other end of the main passage 141a of the second pig station 14A is connected to a sub color change valve unit (hereinafter also referred to as sub CCV) 17 through a fourth paint hose 15D. In the present embodiment, the pig 16 is inserted into the third paint hose 15C so as to be able to reciprocate between the first pig station 13A and the second pig station 14A.

  The cleaning valve unit 12 connected to the first pig station 13A via the second paint hose 15B includes an air supply valve 12b capable of supplying cleaning air to the manifold 12a, and a cleaning liquid capable of supplying cleaning liquid. A supply valve 12c and a drain valve 12d for draining liquid outside are provided. Each of the valves 12b to 12d can be opened and closed by a control signal from a control device (not shown). In the present embodiment, the cleaning valve unit 12 corresponds to the first cleaning means in the claims.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first pig station 13 </ b> A fixes a station body 131 having a substantially T-shaped outer shape and first to third paint hoses 15 </ b> A to 15 </ b> C to each end of the station body 131. Caps 132 to 134 for carrying out, and a stopper 135 for catching the pig 16 moving in the third paint hose 15C.

  The station body 131 has a main passage 131a and a sub-passage 131d formed therein. In the present embodiment, the inner diameter D1 of the main passage 131a is larger than the outer diameter D2 of the pig 16 so that air and cleaning liquid can pass through the side of the pig 16 captured by the stopper 135 (D1> D2). . Further, the inner diameter D3 of the third paint hose 15C is equal to or smaller than the outer diameter D2 of the pig 16 in order to ensure the paint extrudability and cleanability by the pig 16 (D3 ≦ D2). Accordingly, the inner diameter D1 of the main passage 131a is larger than the inner diameter D3 of the third paint hose 15C (D1> D3).

  The inner diameter D3 of the third paint hose 15C may be slightly larger than the outer diameter D2 of the pig 16 (D3> D2). In this case, the inner diameter D1 of the main passage 131a is the same as that of the third paint hose 15C. It is preferable that the inner diameter is not less than D3 (D1 ≧ D3).

  The sub passage 131d branches off from the main passage 131a via the opening 131b. As shown in FIG. 3, the opening 131b spans the periphery of the opening 131b along the axial direction of the main passage 131a (moving direction of the pig 16) so as to close a part of the opening 131b. A handed prismatic guard 131c is provided. The guard 131c is formed by leaving a part of the inner wall surface of the main passage 131a in the opening 131b when the opening 131b is processed in the main passage 131a. By providing such a guard 131d, the pig 16 moving in the main passage 131a falls into the sub-passage 131d via the opening 131b, and the pig 16 is hooked on the opening 131b or contacts the periphery of the opening 131b. Thus, it is possible to prevent damage. The guard 131d is preferably provided at the center of the main passage 131a so as not to obstruct the passage of the pig 16.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the caps 132 to 134 are formed with female screw portions that can be screwed into male screw portions formed on the surface of each end portion of the station main body 131. And each paint hose 15A-15C is fixed by attaching each cap 132-134 in the state which inserted each paint hose 15A-15C in the both ends of the main channel | path 131a, and the edge part of the subchannel | path 131d. At the time of fixing, a stopper 135 is interposed between the end of the main passage 131a on the second paint pipe 15B side and the station main body 131. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the stopper 135 is a disk-shaped member formed with upper and lower punch holes 135a, and the cleaning liquid and air can pass through the respective punch holes 135a. At the same time, the pig 16 can be captured in the main passage 131a by closing a part of the main passage 131a.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the second pig station 14A connected to the other end of the third paint hose 15C is a station main body 141 having a cylindrical shape, and the third and fourth paint hoses 15C and 15D. Caps 142 and 143 for fixing to both ends of the main body 141 and a stopper 144 for capturing the pig 16 moving in the third paint hose 15C in the main passage 141a are provided.

  The station main body 141 has a main passage 141a formed therein. In this embodiment, the inner diameter D4 of the main passage 141a is larger than the outer diameter D2 of the pig 16 so that paint, air, cleaning liquid, etc. can pass through the side of the pig 16 captured by the stopper 144 (D4). > D2). Further, the inner diameter D3 of the third paint hose 15C is equal to or smaller than the outer diameter D2 of the pig 16 in order to ensure the paint extrudability and cleanability by the pig 16 (D3 ≦ D2). Therefore, the inner diameter D4 of the main passage 141a is larger than the inner diameter D3 of the third paint hose 15C (D1> D3).

  The inner diameter D3 of the third paint hose 15C may be slightly larger than the outer diameter D2 of the pig 16 (D3> D2). In this case, the inner diameter D4 of the main passage 141a is the same as that of the third paint hose 15C. It is preferable that the inner diameter is not less than D3 (D4 ≧ D3).

  As shown in FIG. 5, the caps 142 and 143 have female screw portions that can be screwed into male screw portions formed on the surfaces of both end portions of the station main body 141. And each paint hose 15C, 15D is fixed by attaching each cap 142,143 in the state which inserted each paint hose 15C, 15D in the edge part of the main channel | path 141a. At the time of fixing, a stopper 144 is interposed between the fourth paint hose 15D and the station main body 141. This stopper 144 has the same shape as the stopper 135 shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B used in the first pig station 13, and allows paint, air, and cleaning liquid to pass through the punched hole. In addition, the pig 16 can be captured in the main passage 141a by closing a part of the main passage 141a.

  6A to 6E are cross-sectional views showing various pigs that can be used in the paint supply apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In this embodiment, the pig 16 inserted into the third paint hose 15C moves from the main CCV11 side (first pig station 13A) toward the sub CCV17 side (second pig station 14A). The fore-color paint remaining during this time can be collected in the paint tank. In addition, by moving from the sub CCV 17 side (second pig station 14A) toward the main CCV 11 side (first pig station 13A), deposits such as paint and cleaning liquid adhered in the third paint hole 15C. Can be removed by scraping.

  As a preferable pig 16 used in the coating material supply apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6E, the front side upper portions 161 a to 161 e that are raised in a ring shape are provided on the front end side, and the ring 16 is raised in a ring shape. There may be mentioned pigs 16a to 16e having rear side upper portions 162a to 162e on the rear end side and having a substantially longitudinally symmetrical shape along the traveling direction.

  The shapes of these pigs 16a to 16e are substantially symmetrical in the front-rear direction along the traveling direction, and have a non-directional shape, so that they easily reciprocate in the third paint hose 15C. It is possible to move.

  Also, by providing raised portions 161a to 161e and 162a to 162e at the front and rear ends of the pigs 16a to 16e, respectively, the pigs 16a to 16e can be moved from the main CCV11 side (first pig station 13A) to the sub CCV17 side (second piggy). When moving toward the station 14A), the rear ascending portions 161a to 161e collect the paint, and the pigs 16a to 16e are moved from the sub CCV 17 side (second pig station 14A) to the main CCV 11 side (first pig station 13A). ) Scrapes and removes the deposits adhering to the inside of the third paint hose 15 </ b> C when moving toward the upper side 162). That is, the rear side upper portions 161a to 161e located on the sub CCV 17 side function for the purpose of collecting paint, and the front side upper portions 162a to 162e located on the main CCV 11 side function for the purpose of cleaning in the third paint hose 15C.

  Further, in the pig 16a, the raised portions 161a and 162a are curved so that the sealing performance for collecting paint is improved. On the other hand, in the pigs 16b and 16c, the raised portions 161b, 161c, 162b and 162c are made upright with respect to the traveling direction, thereby improving the scraping performance for cleaning. In addition, in the pigs 16d and 16e, both the sealing performance and the scraping performance are achieved by making the apexes of the raised portions 161d, 161e, 162d, and 162e obtuse.

  The sub CCV 17 connected to the other end of the fourth paint hose 15D is a color change valve unit similar to the main CCV 11, and a plurality of (five in FIG. 1) switching valves 172a to 172e are provided in the manifold 171. Configured. The paint is supplied to the switching valves 172a and 172b. By selecting one of the switching valves 172a and 172b, the paint is supplied into the manifold 171 and supplied to the switching valve 112f of the main CCV 11 via the paint hose. The The paint supplied to each switching valve 172a, 172b is accommodated in each of the sealed paint tanks 18, 19, and the inside of the tanks 18, 19 is pressurized by air etc. The switching valves 172a and 172b can be pumped. The switching valve 172c is supplied with cleaning air and is used as an air supply valve. A cleaning liquid is supplied to the switching valve 173d and is used as a cleaning liquid supply valve. The switching valve 172e is used as a drain valve for performing waste liquid outside. The switching valves 172a to 172e of the sub CCV 17 can be opened and closed by a control signal from a control device (not shown). In the present embodiment, the sub CCV 17 corresponds to the second cleaning means in the claims.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the coating material supply apparatus 10 having the above configuration is provided for each of a plurality of painting robots 4 provided in the painting booth B, for example. A coating gun 2 is provided as an end effector at the tip of the coating robot 4, and each color paint can be supplied to the paint gun 2 from the paint supply device 10. By providing one coating material supply device 10 for each coating robot 4, the configuration of the coating system can be simplified.

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the coating system as described above. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a single paint supply device 10 applies to a plurality of (two in FIG. 8) coating robots 4. The paint may be supplied, or the paint may be supplied from a single paint supply device 10 to all the painting robots 4 in the painting booth B as shown in FIG. As a result, it is possible to reduce the installation space of the coating system and the equipment cost, and it is possible to reduce the man-hours required for preparing and replenishing the paint.

  The operation of the paint supply apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of color change in the paint supply apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 11 to 16 are block diagrams showing the state of each step.

  First, as shown in FIG. 11, a state (step S10 in FIG. 10) in which the paint supply device 10 is supplying the paint of the previous color (A color in FIG. 11) will be described. When the A color paint in the paint tank 18 is pumped by the pressurized air, the switching valve 172a of the sub CCV 17 → the manifold 171 → the fourth paint hose 15D → the second pig station 14A → the third paint hose 15C → the first paint hose. 1 pig station 13A → first paint hose 15A → main CCV11 switching valve 112f, and by operating the paint pump 3, the A color paint is further supplied to the manifold 111 → paint pump 3 → paint gun 2 They are sent in order and discharged toward the object. In this state, all the switching valves 172b to 172e of the sub CCV 17 other than the switching valve 172a are controlled to be closed. Also in the main CCV 11, all the valves 112a to 112e other than the switching valve 112f are controlled to be closed. In the cleaning valve unit 12, all the valves 12b to 12d are controlled to be closed.

  When the application of the A color paint is completed and the next color is other than A color, the color changing operation is performed according to the following procedure.

  First, as shown in step S20 of FIG. 10, the A color paint is collected. As shown in FIG. 12, the pressurization in the coating tank 18 in which the A color paint is accommodated is stopped based on a signal indicating completion of the A color paint. Then, the switching valve 112f of the main CCV 11 is closed and the air supply valve 12b of the cleaning valve unit 12 is opened to supply air. Due to the pressure of the air, the pig 16 accommodated in the first pig station 13A moves in the third paint hose 15C, and pushes the A color paint filled in the hose 15C back to the paint tank 18. .

  Next, when the pig 16 is captured by the second pig station 14A, the paint hose is washed (reversely washed) from the main CCV11 side to the sub CCV17 side as shown in Step S30 of FIG. In this step S30, first, as shown in FIG. 13, the dump valve provided in the switching valve 112f of the main CCV 11 is opened, and the air supply valve 12b and the cleaning liquid supply valve 12c of the cleaning valve unit 12 are alternately opened and closed. To do. As a result, the path from the manifold 12a of the cleaning valve unit 12 to the second paint hose 15B → the main passage 131a of the first pig station 13A → the auxiliary passage 131d → the first paint hose 15A → the switching valve 112f of the main CCV 11 Is cleaned with air and a cleaning solution.

  Further, in step S30, as shown in FIG. 14, the switching valve 112f of the main CCV 11 is closed and the switching valve 172e of the sub CCV 17 is opened. Thereby, the manifold 12a of the cleaning valve unit 12 → the second paint hose 15B → the first pig station 13A → the third paint hose 15C → the second pig station 14A → the fourth paint hose 15D → the sub CCV 17 The path from the manifold 171 to the switching valve 172e is cleaned with air and cleaning liquid. At this time, the pig 16 is captured in the second pig station 14A, but the inner diameter D4 of the main passage 141 is larger than the outer diameter D2 of the pig 16 (D4> D2). It is possible to pass by the side of the pig 16. In addition, this back washing | cleaning step S30 is not an essential process, and when the front color paint collection | recovery step S20 is complete | finished, you may transfer to this washing | cleaning step S40 demonstrated below, without performing this back washing | cleaning step S30.

  Next, as shown in step S40 of FIG. 10, the paint hose is washed (mainly washed) from the sub CCV 17 side toward the main CCV 11 side. In step S40, as shown in FIG. 15, the switching valve 172e of the sub CCV 17 is closed and the switching valves 172c and 172d are alternately opened and closed. In the cleaning valve unit 12, the air supply valve 12b and the cleaning liquid supply valve 12c are closed and the drain valve 12d is opened. Further, the dump valve provided in the switching valve 112f in the main CCV 11 is opened. Thereby, the manifold 171 of the sub CCV 17 → the fourth paint hose 15D → the second pig station 14A → the third paint hose 15C → the first pig station 13A → the second paint hose 15B → the cleaning valve unit 12 The path from the manifold 12a to the drain valve 12d is cleaned by air and cleaning liquid, and the path from the first pig station 13A to the switching valve 112f of the first paint hose 15A to the main CCV 11 is air and cleaning liquid. It is washed by. At this time, the pig 16 captured by the second pig station 14A is fired and moved in the third paint hose 15C by the pressure of the air and the cleaning liquid supplied alternately from the switching valves 172c and 172d of the sub CCV7. And captured by the first pig station 13A. By the movement of the pig 16, the adhering substances such as the paint and the cleaning liquid adhering in the third paint hole 15C are scraped off and removed. When cleaning of the paint hose with the air and the cleaning liquid is completed, the inside of the piping system is purged with air supplied from the switching valve 172c of the sub CCV 17.

  Next, as shown in step S50 of FIG. 10, the paint of the next color (B color in FIG. 16) is filled. As shown in FIG. 16, in the sub CCV 17, the switching valves 172c and 172d are closed and the switching valve 172b is opened. Further, the dump valve 12d is closed in the cleaning valve unit 12, and the valve following the manifold 111 of the switching valve 112f is opened in the main CCV11. When the B color paint in the paint tank 19 is pumped by the pressurized air, the switching valve 172b of the sub CCV 17 → the manifold 171 → the fourth paint hose 15D → the second pig station 14A → the third paint hose 15C. → The first pig station 13A → the first paint hose 15A → the switching valve 112f of the main CCV 11 is operated, and the paint pump 3 is operated here, so that the B color paint further becomes the manifold 111 → the paint pump 3 → the paint gun. 2 are sent in the order of 2 and discharged toward the object to be coated to complete the color change operation.

  FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the paint supply apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a pig station used in the paint supply apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the paint supply apparatus 10 ′ according to the second embodiment of the present invention has the same basic configuration as the paint supply apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment, and only the configuration of the pig station is the first. This is different from the paint supply apparatus 10 according to the embodiment.

  Compared with the pig stations 13A and 14A in the first embodiment, the pig stations 13B and 14B in the present embodiment place stopper needles 138, 139, 147 and 148 in the main passages 131a and 141a in place of the stoppers 135 and 144, respectively. Needle valves 136, 137, 145, and 146 that can be moved up and down.

  FIG. 18 representatively shows the second pig station 14B. In this embodiment, needle valves 145 and 146 are provided at a predetermined interval above the station main body 141a. Each needle valve 145, 146 can insert and remove the stopper needles 147, 148 inserted into the through holes 141b formed in the station main body 141a from the main passage 141a. The pig 16 that has moved into the station main body 141a can be captured in the main passage 141a by being sandwiched between the two stopper needles 147 and 148. By capturing the pig 16 with the needle stoppers 147 and 148 that can be expanded and contracted, the pig station can be compared with the case where the stopper 144 is permanently installed on the main passage 141a as in the first embodiment. In this case, the amount of paint accumulated in the nozzle is reduced, and the cleaning property is improved.

  FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the paint supply apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the third embodiment of the present invention, the first pig station 13A similar to the first embodiment in which the stopper 135 is permanently provided on the main passage 131a is used as the pig station on the main CCV 11 side. Further, as the pig station on the side of the sub CCV 17, the second pig station 14B similar to the second embodiment, which captures the pig 16 using the needle valves 135 and 136, is used. A pig station 13A using a permanent stopper 135 is employed on the painting robot 4 side that is required to be downsized, and drive-type stoppers 138 and 139 are disposed on the paint tanks 18 and 19 side having a relatively large space. By adopting the used pig station 14B, it is possible to construct a coating system that meets the needs.

  The embodiment described above is described in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and is not described in order to limit the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above embodiment is intended to include all design changes and equivalents belonging to the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, only one pig station may pass fluid beyond the pig described above and the other pig station may not pass fluid beyond the conventional pig station.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the paint supply apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a first pig station in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an arrow view seen from the III direction in FIG. 4A is a front view showing a stopper used in the first pig station shown in FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IVB-IVB in FIG. 4A. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a second pig station in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a pig that can be used in the paint supply apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view showing another example of a pig that can be used in the paint supply apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view showing still another example of a pig that can be used in the paint supply device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6D is a cross-sectional view showing another example of a pig that can be used in the paint supply apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6E is a cross-sectional view showing still another example of a pig that can be used in the coating material supply apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing the coating system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing another example of the coating system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view showing still another example of the coating system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a color change procedure in the paint supply apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a state in which the front color paint is applied (front color coating step). FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a state in which the previous color paint is collected (front color paint collection step). FIG. 13 is a block diagram (No. 1) showing a state in which the paint hose is washed from the main CCV toward the sub CCV (back washing step). FIG. 14 is a block diagram (No. 2) showing a state in which the paint hose is washed from the main CCV toward the sub CCV (back washing step). FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a state (main cleaning step) in which the paint hose is cleaned from the sub CCV toward the main CCV. FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a state (next color paint filling step) in which the paint of the next color is filled in the paint pipe. FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the paint supply apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a pig station used in the paint supply apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the paint supply apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Paint system 2 ... Paint gun 3 ... Paint pump 4 ... Paint robot 10 ... Paint supply apparatus 11 ... Main CCV
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 111 ... Manifold 112a-112f ... Switching valve 12 ... Cleaning valve unit 12a ... Manifold 12b ... Air supply valve 12c ... Cleaning liquid supply valve 12d ... Drain valve 13A, 13B ... First pig station 131 ... Station main body 131a ... Main aisle
131b ... opening
131c ... Guard 131d ... Sub-passage 132-134 ... Cap 135 ... Stopper 135a ... Punch hole 136, 137 ... Needle valve 138, 139 ... Stopper needle 14A, 14B ... Second pig station 141 ... Station main body 141a ... Main passage 141b ... Through hole 142, 143 ... Cap 144 ... Stopper 145, 146 ... Needle valve 147, 148 ... Stopper needle 15A-15D ... First to fourth paint hoses 16, 16a-16e ... Pig 161a-161e ... Rear side upper part 162a ~ 162e ... Front side upper part 17 ... Sub CCV
171 ... Manifold 172a to 172e ... Switching valve 18, 19 ... Paint tank B ... Painting booth D1, D4 ... Main passage inner diameter D2 ... Pig outer diameter D3 ... Third paint hose inner diameter

Claims (9)

A paint supply device having a paint pipe inserted therein, wherein the pig moves back and forth in the paint pipe by a fluid flowing in the paint pipe;
Launching the pig in the paint pipe, or landing portions that capture the pig moving in the paint pipe are provided at both ends of the paint pipe,
At least one of the departure and arrival parts is
A main body where the main passage communicating with the paint pipe is formed inside,
Capturing means for capturing the pig in the main passage,
The paint supply apparatus in which the fluid can pass through the main passage beyond the pig in a state where the capturing means captures the pig.   The paint supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inner diameter of the main passage of the landing portion is equal to or larger than an inner diameter of the paint pipe.   The paint supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the capturing means is a stopper provided to close a part of the main passage.   The paint supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capturing unit is an opening / closing unit capable of opening / closing a part of the main passage. The departure / arrival portion main body further includes a sub-passage branched from the main passage,
The coating material supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a guard for closing a part of the opening is provided in an opening formed in the main passage so as to branch to the sub-passage.   The pig moves back from one end of the paint pipe to the other end, pushes back the paint filled in the paint pipe, and moves from the other end of the paint pipe to the one end to adhere to the paint pipe. The paint supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the adhered matter is scraped off and removed.   7. The pig according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the pig has a raised portion that is annularly raised on each of the front end side and the rear end side, and has a shape that is substantially symmetrical in the front-rear direction along the traveling direction of the pig. The coating material supply apparatus as described. A first cleaning means for cleaning the paint pipe from one end to the other end of the paint pipe;
The paint supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second cleaning unit that cleans the paint pipe from the other end of the paint pipe toward the one end. A paint supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
And a coating device that applies the coating material supplied from the coating material supply device to an object to be coated.

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