JP2008036543A - Nozzle apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a nozzle apparatus which can control to a desired discharging amount in spite of the viscosity of a liquid. <P>SOLUTION: The nozzle apparatus has a laminated piezo-electric actuator 18 for opening/closing a discharging opening 6 of a nozzle 7 and a nozzle opening/closing member 9 for opening/closing the discharging opening 6, which is fixed at one end of the laminated piezo-electric actuator 18. The nozzle apparatus has a piezo-electric actuator 27 for controlling the discharging amount of the liquid by adjusting the volume of a liquid room 5 and a diaphragm 31 for dividing a position area of the liquid room 5 and the piezo-electric actuator 27, one end of which is fixed. The discharging amount proportional to the deviation amount of the piezo-electric actuator 27 can be obtained by driving the actuator 18, 27 on a suitable timing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a nozzle device.

  In recent years, electronic devices tend to adhere individual parts with an adhesive as the size and density increase, and the amount of adhesive applied tends to be reduced.

  For this reason, as a nozzle device used for applying adhesive, the amount of adhesive applied can be controlled, and the viscosity changes depending on the change in the amount applied depending on the type of parts and conditions such as temperature. However, a high-precision one that does not change the coating amount is required.

  In addition, in a marking device that prints characters and logos on goods being conveyed, as the line speed increases, marking with mixed case is required as well as high responsiveness, and it is necessary to set the dot size for each character.

  For this reason, the nozzle device provided in the marking device is also required to have a high accuracy.

  In the conventional nozzle device, the discharge material (adhesive, ink, etc.) is pressurized by air pressure or a pump and the valve in the nozzle is opened for a certain time, or the discharge material is discharged for a certain time without providing a valve. In this method, the discharge material is discharged by pressing.

  However, in these methods, the discharge amount greatly changes due to a change in the applied pressure or a change in the concentration (viscosity change) of the discharge material.

  FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing a conventional nozzle device 1000 for marking the steel plate wrinkle inspection result information with a dot pattern on the steel plate side end.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a conventional nozzle device 1000 includes a liquid chamber 1001 that stores paint in a pressurized state, a nozzle tip 1003 that has a discharge port 1002 that discharges the paint, and a needle disposed in the liquid chamber 1001. A valve 1004, a plunger (movable iron core) 1005 fixed to the base end portion of the needle valve 1004, a fixed iron core 1006 capable of adsorbing the plunger 1005, and a coil 1007 disposed around the fixed iron core 1006 And.

  In such a nozzle device 1000, the tip of the needle valve 1004 is separated from the discharge port 1002 as the plunger 1005 is attracted to the fixed iron core 1006 by the pulsed current applied to the coil 1007, and the discharge port From 1002, the paint in the liquid chamber 1001 is discharged. Thereby, a dot is formed in the steel plate edge part.

  FIG. 8 is a view showing a steel plate on which dots are formed by the nozzle device 1000.

  While conveying the steel plate 1010 in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 8, dots are formed by the nozzle device 1000 at the side end of the steel plate.

  The first dot formed is a start bit indicating the reference position. The dots to be formed next are the heel size L, the next two dots are the heel size M, and the next three dots are the heel size S.

  The dot pitch is set to 5 mm, for example.

  If the first dot corresponding to the start bit is missing, the wrinkle size information will be unclear.

  Since the frequency of wrinkles is small and the first dot may be missing, the dot size is set large in order to prevent it.

  Nevertheless, as the ink usage time elapses, the volatile components volatilize and the viscosity increases, and the ink particles in the liquid chamber recombine with each other to increase the viscosity. Become.

  Also, the dot diameter changes due to temperature changes during the day.

  This is because the pressure loss in the pipe changes due to a change in the viscosity of the ink, and the resistance when passing through a nozzle having a diameter of 0.3 mm or less, for example, changes. The discharge amount is greatly affected by the viscosity. .

  As described above, liquids such as adhesives, paints, and inks have different viscosities and fluidity depending on the types, and their temperature coefficients also differ.

  In addition, in the factory where the ambient temperature is high, the solvent such as ink and adhesive is volatile and the conventional nozzle device cannot keep the discharge amount constant.

  Also, it is impossible to automatically change the coating amount to an arbitrary set value in accordance with the type of discharge material.

  In the nozzle device 1000 described above, it is difficult to control a minute discharge amount.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and can control a minute discharge amount, and can control the discharge amount to a desired amount regardless of the viscosity and fluidity of the liquid. An object is to provide a possible nozzle device.

  In order to solve the above problems, a nozzle device of the present invention includes a liquid chamber for storing liquid, a nozzle having a discharge port for discharging the liquid in the liquid chamber to a discharge target, a laminated piezoelectric actuator, and the laminated A nozzle opening / closing member fixed to one end of the piezoelectric actuator and opening / closing the discharge port, a weight fixed to the other end of the laminated piezoelectric actuator and heavier than the nozzle opening / closing member, and the nozzle opening / closing member pressed against the discharge port An elastic body that urges the nozzle opening / closing member toward the discharge port through the weight and the laminated piezoelectric actuator to close the discharge opening, and the nozzle opening / closing member is extended in the extended state of the laminated piezoelectric actuator. While the discharge port is closed by this, the laminated piezoelectric actuator is shortened instantaneously from the state where the discharge port is closed, thereby A nozzle opening / closing mechanism that opens the discharge port by separating the valve opening / closing member from the discharge port, a piezoelectric actuator, and a diaphragm that fixes one end of the piezoelectric actuator and separates the liquid chamber from the region where the piezoelectric actuator is disposed. And a liquid discharge amount control mechanism capable of changing the volume of the liquid chamber according to expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric actuator, and the liquid discharge amount control mechanism at a timing when the discharge port is opened by the nozzle opening / closing mechanism. The piezoelectric actuator is extended to push the diaphragm toward the liquid chamber, thereby reducing the volume of the liquid chamber, thereby discharging the liquid corresponding to the volume reduction amount to the discharge target through the discharge port. It is characterized by.

  In the nozzle device of the present invention, it is preferable to include a biasing force adjusting means for adjusting a biasing force of the elastic body by adjusting a compression amount of the elastic body.

  In the nozzle device of the present invention, it is preferable that high-speed vibration can be applied to the liquid in the liquid chamber by expanding and contracting the piezoelectric actuator of the liquid discharge amount control mechanism at high speed with a small amplitude.

  According to the present invention, a laminated piezoelectric actuator, a nozzle opening / closing member that is fixed to one end of the laminated piezoelectric actuator and opens and closes a nozzle outlet, a weight fixed to the other end of the laminated piezoelectric actuator and heavier than the nozzle opening / closing member, and a nozzle An elastic member that presses the opening / closing member against the discharge port to close the discharge port and biases the nozzle opening / closing member toward the discharge port via the multilayer piezoelectric actuator. While the discharge port is closed by the opening / closing member, the nozzle opening / closing member is separated from the discharge port by instantaneously shortening the laminated piezoelectric actuator capable of minutely controlling the extension amount from the state where the discharge port is closed. Since the nozzle opening / closing mechanism that opens the nozzle is provided, it is possible to control a very small discharge amount.

  In addition, a liquid discharge amount control capable of changing the volume of the liquid chamber according to the expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric actuator is provided with a piezoelectric actuator and a diaphragm in which one end of the piezoelectric actuator is fixed and which partitions the liquid chamber and the piezoelectric actuator arrangement region This mechanism reduces the volume by reducing the volume of the liquid chamber by extending the piezoelectric actuator of the liquid discharge amount control mechanism and pushing the diaphragm toward the liquid chamber at the timing when the discharge port is opened by the nozzle opening / closing mechanism. Since the corresponding liquid is discharged to the discharge target through the discharge port, an arbitrary discharge amount can be controlled to an arbitrary discharge speed regardless of the viscosity of the liquid.

  Further, according to the present invention, since the biasing force adjusting means for adjusting the biasing force of the elastic body is adjusted by adjusting the compression amount of the elastic body, the nozzle opening / closing member is attached to the nozzle according to the pressure of the liquid chamber. The urging force that urges the discharge port in the closing direction can be adjusted.

  Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to apply high-speed vibration to the liquid in the liquid chamber by expanding and contracting the piezoelectric actuator of the liquid discharge amount control mechanism at a high speed with a small amplitude. And the fluidity of the liquid can be maintained.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing a nozzle device 100 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a nozzle device 100 according to this embodiment includes a hollow main body 1, first and second holders 2 and 3 each formed in a cylindrical shape, and a side surface of the main body 1. And a liquid supply pipe 4 connected to.

  The main body 1 has a liquid chamber 5 for storing the liquid before being discharged onto the discharge target.

  A nozzle member (nozzle) 7 having a nozzle hole (discharge port) 6 is provided at the lower end of the main body 1.

  The nozzle member 7 is provided with a discharge tube 8 that communicates with the nozzle hole 6 and protrudes downward from the nozzle member 7, and the liquid in the liquid chamber 5 is directed toward the discharge target through the nozzle hole 6 and the discharge tube 8. Discharged.

  A push lot (nozzle opening / closing member) 9 is provided inside the liquid chamber 5.

  The push lot 9 includes a vertically long bar-shaped main body portion 10, a spherical tip ball portion 11 provided at a lower end portion of the main body portion 10, and a hemispherical tip of a discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 described later. The upper end portion 12 joined to the portion 39 is provided.

  The tip ball portion 11 of the push lot 9 functions as a valve that closes or opens the upper end opening of the nozzle hole 6 of the nozzle member 7, and is disposed in a valve seat 13 that is a concave curved surface formed in the nozzle member 7. Has been.

  The tip ball portion 11 and the valve seat 13 constitute a discharge valve 40.

  In this embodiment, the case where the tip of the push lot 9 is a spherical tip ball portion 11 is illustrated. However, the tip of the push lot 9 may have a needle shape (see FIG. 7). good.

  A seal ring 14 made of an elastically deformable material is provided on the upper portion of the main body 1.

  The seal ring 14 separates the liquid chamber 5 from a mechanism chamber 17 (described later) located above the liquid chamber 5.

  The seal ring 14 holds the upper end portion 12 of the push lot 9 so that the push lot 9 can move up and down.

  The first holder 2 has, for example, a main body portion formed by screwing a male screw portion 16 formed at the lower end portion of the first holder 2 into a female screw portion 15 formed at the upper end portion of the main body portion 1. The main body portion 1 is provided so as to protrude upward from the portion 1.

  The inner region of the first holder 2 constitutes a mechanism chamber 17.

  In the mechanism chamber 17, a discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator (laminated piezoelectric actuator) 18, a bush 19 in which the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 is inserted so as to move up and down, and an upper end of the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18. A weight 21 fixed to the portion 20, a spring (elastic body) 22 whose one end is in contact with the upper end surface of the weight 21, and a spring that presses the other end of the spring 22 toward the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 side. A receiver (biasing force adjusting means) 23 is disposed.

  The upper end portion of the first holder 2 is closed by the upper end wall portion 24, and a spring pushing screw (biasing force adjusting means) 25 for adjusting the vertical position of the spring receiver 23 is screwed into the upper end wall portion 24. Has been.

  That is, by adjusting the screwing amount of the spring pressing screw 25 into the upper end wall portion 24, the vertical position of the spring receiver 23 is adjusted to adjust the compression amount of the spring 22, and the push lot 9 is attached downward by the spring 22. It is possible to adjust the biasing force.

  The second holder 3 is provided in the main body 1 so as to protrude from the main body 1 to the side by, for example, screwing a flange portion 26 formed on one end thereof to the side surface of the main body 1. ing.

  Inside the second holder 3, there is provided a liquid discharge amount controlling piezoelectric actuator (piezoelectric actuator) 27.

  The tail end portion 28 (the right end portion in FIG. 1) of the piezoelectric actuator 27 for controlling the liquid discharge amount is in relation to the tail end surface (the left end surface in FIG. 1) of the second holder 3 and the tail end surface of the second holder 3. For example, it is sandwiched between a holding frame 29 attached by screwing and fixed to the second holder 3.

  A hemispherical portion 30 is formed at the tip end portion (left end portion in FIG. 1) of the liquid discharge amount control piezoelectric actuator 27.

  In the second holder 3, a diaphragm 31 is provided at the boundary between the liquid chamber 5 and the liquid discharge amount control piezoelectric actuator 27 in the main body 1.

  An outer peripheral ring portion 32 is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the diaphragm 31. The outer peripheral ring portion 32 is fitted into a recess 33 formed on the side surface of the main body portion 1 and is pressed by the flange portion 26 of the second holder 3 to seal the liquid chamber 5.

  The diaphragm 31 is connected to the hemispherical portion 30 of the liquid discharge amount controlling piezoelectric actuator 27 through a connecting fitting 34.

  The liquid supply pipe 4 is a pipe for supplying a liquid into the liquid chamber 5. For example, the liquid supply pipe 4 is provided on the side of the main body 1 opposite to the side where the second holder 3 is provided. .

  More specifically, for example, a connection member 35 whose one end faces the liquid chamber 5 is provided on the side surface of the main body 1 by, for example, screwing, and the connection member 35 is opposite to the liquid chamber 5 side. A liquid supply pipe 4 is fixed to the surface by screwing.

  The connection member 35 is formed with a liquid supply port 36 through which liquid flows from the liquid supply pipe 4 into the liquid chamber 5. A surface of the connection member 35 facing the liquid chamber 5 is provided with a leaf through a valve seat 37. A valve 38 is provided.

  Next, the operation will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between the voltage (horizontal axis) applied to the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 and the displacement amount (vertical axis) of the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18.

  The discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 is, for example, a laminated piezoelectric actuator, and the lower hemispherical tip 39 extends downward in proportion to the voltage applied to the plus side of the lead wire (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the expansion / contraction amount of the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 is very small, for example, about 13 μm when the recommended drive voltage VR is applied.

  Therefore, in order to completely fix the tail end portion 20 of the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 to the first holder 2, the tip ball portion 11 of the push lot 9 is brought into contact with the valve seat 13 of the nozzle member 7. In this embodiment, it is difficult to open the nozzle hole 6 only by contracting the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 from the closed state. However, in the present embodiment, the action of the spring 22 and the weight 21 is preferable as described below. The nozzle hole 6 is opened and closed.

  The liquid discharge amount control piezoelectric actuator 27 is, for example, a laminated piezoelectric actuator, and has the same characteristics as the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18.

<Description of opening and closing operation of discharge valve 40>
Next, the opening / closing operation of the discharge valve 40 will be described.

  The weight 21 fixed to the upper end portion 20 of the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 has a function of suppressing the movement of the upper end portion 20 when the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 contracts at high speed.

  The spring 22 pushes down the weight 21 by its urging force, and the push-down force is adjusted by setting the vertical position of the spring receiver 23 by adjusting the screwing amount of the spring push screw 25 as described above. .

  The screwing amount of the spring push screw 25 is set such that the liquid pressure in the liquid chamber 5 does not act on the seal ring 14 and push up the push lot 9 to cause liquid leakage.

  Whether the voltage is applied to the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 or not, the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 is pushed down by the pressing force of the spring 22 and the weight 21 over time. The tip ball portion 11 of the push lot 9 connected to the piezoelectric actuator 18 is pressed against the valve seat 13 of the nozzle member 7, and the discharge valve 40 is closed. Therefore, the liquid in the liquid chamber 5 does not leak even if it is pressurized.

  When the recommended maximum voltage VR is applied between the positive and negative lead wires of the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18, the hemispherical tip 39 of the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 extends, but the tip ball 11 of the push lot 9 Since it contacts the valve seat 13 and cannot move downward, the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 and the weight 21 move, for example, by about 13 μm.

  From this state, when the voltage applied between the plus and minus of the lead wire of the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 is lowered to 0 v at once, the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 is instantaneously (rapidly) shortened.

  Here, the upper end portion (tail end portion 20) of the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 does not move so much due to the inertia of the weight 21 fixed to the upper end portion, but the spherical tip portion 39 moves upward. .

  As the spherical tip 39 moves upward in this way, the push lot 9 fixed to the spherical tip 39 also moves upward, and the tip ball portion 11 of the push lot 9 moves away from the valve seat 13. The discharge valve 40 opens.

  Thereby, the liquid in the liquid chamber 5 is discharged toward the discharge target through the discharge valve 40, the nozzle hole 6 and the discharge tube 8 in this order.

  Note that the liquid is discharged when left for a long time (for example, 100 ms), but is supplied with the liquid pressure set to such an extent that the liquid is not discharged after 1 to 2 ms.

  The weight ratio between the push lot 9 connected to the spherical tip 39 and the weight 21 is set so that the weight of the weight 21 is significantly larger than the push lot 9. Specifically, for example, the weight ratio between the push lot 9 and the weight 21 is set to about 1:30, and the movement amount of the push lot 9 and the movement amount of the weight 21 is a ratio of 30: 1.

  Therefore, the amount of downward movement of the weight 21 when the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 is rapidly shortened as described above is 13/30 = about 0.43 μm.

  When the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 extends, the weight 21 moves about 0.43 μm in the opposite direction (upward).

  The discharge valve 40 is repeatedly opened and closed at a predetermined cycle by repeatedly performing the expansion and contraction operation of the discharge valve opening and closing piezoelectric actuator 18 as described above at a predetermined cycle.

  For example, when the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 is driven (repeatedly expanded and contracted) at 2 kHz, the period during which the discharge valve 40 is open is about 0.2 ms per cycle.

The amount of movement of the weight 21 when the nozzle device 100 is vertically arranged as shown in FIG. 1 and the voltage applied to the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 is kept at a voltage of 0 v for 0.2 ms is as follows:
Movement amount by weight: (1/2) × g × t ² = 1/2 × 10 × 10 ⁶ × (0.2 × 10 ⁻³ ) ² = 0.2 μm
Movement amount by spring force: (1/2) × 2 g × t ² = 0.4 μm
However, the spring force of the spring 22 was set to 150 g by subtracting the force generated in the direction opposite to the spring force due to the hydraulic pressure.

Weight of weight 21 + weight of piezoelectric actuator 18 for opening / closing discharge valve + weight of push lot 9 = 75 g
Therefore, when a voltage is again applied to the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 after 0.2 ms, the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 rapidly expands by 13 μm, and the weight 21 is pushed up by 0.43 μm by the reaction force that pushes down the push lot 9. Subsequently, the tip ball portion 11 of the push lot 9 hits the valve seat 13 and pushes up the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 and the weight 21 by about 0.6 μm to close the discharge valve 40.

<Description of liquid discharge amount control>
Next, the control operation of the liquid discharge amount will be described.

  The tail end portion 29 of the liquid discharge amount controlling piezoelectric actuator 27 is fixed to the right end surface of the second holder 3 in FIG.

  Therefore, when a voltage is applied between the positive and negative lead wires of the liquid discharge amount controlling piezoelectric actuator 27 to extend the liquid discharge amount controlling piezoelectric actuator 27, the liquid discharge amount controlling piezoelectric actuator with reference to the tail end portion 29. The hemispherical portion 30 at the distal end portion 27 is displaced and pushes the diaphragm 31 to the liquid chamber 5 side (left side in FIG. 1) via the connecting fitting 34, so that the volume of the liquid chamber 5 decreases.

  Since the hemispherical portion 30 of the liquid discharge amount controlling piezoelectric actuator 27 is connected to the diaphragm 31 via the connection fitting 34, the diaphragm 31 moves following the hemispherical portion 27.

  The liquid is adjusted to a predetermined pressure in the liquid supply pipe 4, and when the pressure of the liquid in the liquid chamber 5 is lower than the pressure in the liquid supply port 36 of the liquid supply pipe 4, the liquid supply pipe 4 When the leaf valve 38 is pushed toward the liquid chamber 5 by the liquid inside, a space is generated between the leaf valve 38 and the valve seat 37, and the liquid in the liquid supply pipe 4 passes through the space inside the liquid chamber 5. To be supplied.

  When the piezoelectric actuator 27 for controlling the liquid discharge amount is stopped, the liquid pressure in the liquid chamber 5 and the liquid supply port 36 is balanced, and the leaf valve 38 is in contact with the valve seat 37 and closed.

<Discharge operation>
Next, the discharge operation will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a time chart showing the operation of the nozzle device 100.

  In FIG. 3, timings T1 to T7 are timings as described below.

  Timing T1 is a state in which the discharge valve 40 is closed and the leaf valve 38 is in contact with the valve seat 37 and closed while no voltage is applied to the two piezoelectric actuators 18 and 27.

  Timing T2 is an operation preparation period. That is, at the timing T2, the voltage applied to the valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 is gradually increased to the recommended maximum voltage VR. As a result of the hemispherical tip 39 of the valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 being gradually displaced downward in proportion to the voltage increase, the weight 21 is pushed up by the amount of displacement and stopped. During this period, the discharge valve 40 is kept closed.

  Timing T3 is an operation preparation completion period, and is a state of waiting for an operation command after timing T2.

  Timing T4 is the first discharge operation period, and one dot of liquid is discharged from the discharge valve 40. Hereinafter, the timing T4 will be described in detail by dividing it into the following periods (4-1) to (4-3).

  (4-1). First, the applied voltage to the valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 is suddenly set to 0 V, the hemispherical tip 39 is rapidly displaced, and the push lot 9 connected to the hemispherical tip 39 is pulled upward. Thereby, the tip ball portion 11 of the push lot 9 is separated from the valve seat 13 and the discharge nozzle 40 is opened.

  (4-2). Next, at the timing when the pull-up of the push lot 9 is completed, the voltage applied to the discharge amount control piezoelectric actuator 27 starts to increase with a predetermined gradient, and is increased to a voltage corresponding to the required discharge amount.

  Here, the hemispherical portion 30 of the discharge amount controlling piezoelectric actuator 27 is displaced at a speed proportional to the rising speed of the voltage applied to the discharge amount controlling piezoelectric actuator 27, and pushes out the diaphragm 31.

  Accordingly, when the displacement speed is increased, the speed of the droplets discharged from the discharge nozzle 40 is also increased.

  When the displacement of the diaphragm 31 starts, the volume in the liquid chamber 5 is reduced and at the same time the pressure in the liquid chamber 5 is increased.

  Accordingly, the leaf valve 38 is pressed against the valve seat 37 and closes.

  The liquid flows out from the discharge valve 40 to the nozzle hole 6 at high speed, and is discharged as liquid particles from the tip of the discharge tube 8.

  (4-3). When the extension process of the discharge amount control piezoelectric actuator 27 is completed, the voltage of the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 is set to the recommended maximum voltage VR, and the discharge valve 40 is closed.

  (4-4). The voltage of the discharge amount controlling piezoelectric actuator 27 is lowered to 0 V with a predetermined gradient, and the diaphragm 31 is moved backward (moved to the right). Simultaneously with the start of retraction, the volume in the liquid chamber 5 starts to increase, and the liquid pressure in the liquid chamber 5 falls below the liquid pressure in the liquid supply port 36. Therefore, the leaf valve 38 is opened and the liquid flows into the liquid chamber 5 through the liquid supply port 36. When the liquid pressure in the liquid supply port 36 and the liquid chamber 5 becomes the same pressure, the leaf valve 38 is closed. The inflow of the liquid from the liquid supply port 36 into the liquid chamber 5 is stopped.

  At this timing, since the push lot 9 is pushed down by the valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18, the central portion of the seal ring 14 is also pushed down and acts to reduce the volume of the liquid chamber 5, but the discharge amount controlling piezoelectric actuator 27. As a result, the volume of the liquid chamber 5 is increased in total, so that the liquid in the discharge tube 8 is in a position where it is retracted from the tip of the discharge tube 8 when the discharge valve 40 is closed. Become.

  Timing T5 is a standby state and waits for the next operation command.

  Timing T6 is the second discharge operation period, and the second dot is discharged from the discharge valve 40. At timing T6, the same operation as the first operation (T4) is performed, but the discharge amount is set, for example, smaller than that of the first dot. For this reason, the voltage applied to the discharge amount control piezoelectric actuator 27 is set to be smaller than that in the first operation (T4) to suppress the discharge amount.

  Thereafter, similarly, the required number of ejection operations are repeated.

  When the series of operations is completed, as shown at timing T7, the voltage applied to the valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 is slowly lowered to 0 V, and the operation is completed.

  According to the embodiment as described above, the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 composed of a laminated piezoelectric actuator capable of slightly controlling the extension amount is extended to push the push lot 9 against the nozzle hole 6 (valve seat 13). 6 is closed, the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 is rapidly shortened, the push lot 9 is separated from the nozzle hole 6 (valve seat 13), the nozzle hole 6 is opened, and the liquid is passed through the nozzle hole 6. Since the liquid in the chamber 5 is discharged onto the discharge target, it is possible to control a minute discharge amount.

  Further, the liquid discharge amount control piezoelectric actuator 27 which is composed of a piezoelectric actuator and adjusts the volume of the liquid chamber 5 by adjusting the volume of the liquid chamber 5, and the arrangement region of the liquid discharge amount control piezoelectric actuator 27 and the liquid chamber 5. A diaphragm 31 for partitioning, and the piezoelectric actuator 27 for controlling the liquid discharge amount reduces the volume of the liquid chamber 5 by pushing the diaphragm 31 to the liquid chamber 5 side. Therefore, by controlling the expansion amount of the liquid discharge amount controlling piezoelectric actuator 27, it is possible to control an arbitrary discharge amount to an arbitrary discharge speed regardless of the viscosity of the liquid.

  That is, by driving the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 and the liquid discharge amount control piezoelectric actuator 27 at an appropriate timing, a discharge amount proportional to the displacement amount of the liquid discharge amount control piezoelectric actuator 27 can be obtained.

  In addition, since the spring 22 that urges the push lot 9 in the direction of closing the nozzle hole 6 is provided, the nozzle hole 6 can be suitably closed when the liquid is not discharged.

  Further, since the spring pressing screw 25 and the spring receiver 23 are provided as biasing force adjusting means for adjusting the biasing force of the spring 22 by adjusting the compression amount of the spring 22, the pusher is pushed according to the pressure of the liquid chamber 5. The biasing force that biases the lot 9 in the direction of closing the nozzle hole 6 can be adjusted.

  Further, by expanding and contracting the liquid discharge amount controlling piezoelectric actuator 27 at a high speed with a small amplitude, it is possible to apply high-speed vibration to the liquid in the liquid chamber 5 and prevent recombination of the liquid particles in the liquid chamber 5. The fluidity of the liquid can be maintained.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the liquid discharge amount controlling piezoelectric actuator 27 is a laminated piezoelectric actuator has been described, but a piezoelectric actuator other than the laminated type may be used.

  Next, an embodiment in which the wrinkle inspection result information is marked with a dot pattern on the steel plate side end will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a time chart in the case of the embodiment, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a device configuration in the case of the embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an outline of the production line in the case of the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the marking device 200 is generally installed downstream of the manufacturing line about 10 m from the wrinkle inspection device 300.

  Among the equipment configurations shown in FIG. 5, the PLG 401 is installed on the rotation shaft of a transport roll (not shown) to detect the amount of movement of the steel sheet, and based on the detection result of the rotation angle of the transport roll and the diameter of the transport roll. The amount of movement of the steel plate is calculated.

  The frequency divider 402 divides the frequency so that the transmitted pulse of the PLG 401 has a good cutting length. Here, the transmission pulse of the PLG 401 is divided into, for example, 1 mm per pulse, and then input to the controller 403.

  The controller 403 transmits a command to the piezo driver 404 and controls the drive of the piezoelectric actuator 18 for opening and closing the discharge valve via the piezo driver 404, while transmitting a command to the piezo driver 405, via the piezo driver 405. Then, drive control of the discharge amount control piezoelectric actuator 27 is performed.

  Next, the operation flow of the embodiment will be described.

  (1). First, when the defect inspection device 300 detects a defect in the steel sheet (final timing at timing T1), a defect signal indicating the defect level (whether the defect size is L, M, or S) is transmitted to the controller 403 of the marking apparatus 200. Output to.

  (2). Upon receiving the defect signal, the controller 403 enters a preparatory operation for opening the discharge valve 40 and slowly extends the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 (timing T2).

  (3). Thereafter, the controller 403 opens and closes the discharge valve via the piezo drivers 404 and 405 when the tracking amount (the amount of movement of the steel plate) from the defect signal reception timing coincides with the distance L between the wrinkle inspection device 300 and the marking device 200. The piezoelectric actuator 18 and the discharge amount controlling piezoelectric actuator 27 are driven to mark a start bit on the steel plate.

  Here, the start bit forms a larger dot to distinguish it from other dots. For example, a drive voltage of 80v is applied to the liquid discharge amount control piezoelectric actuator 27 (timing T4).

  (4). Further, at the timing when the steel plate moves 5 mm, the steel plate is marked with a bowl size L (timing T6).

  In the case of a defect mark having a heel size L, for example, a drive voltage of 60 V is applied to the piezoelectric actuator 27 for controlling the liquid discharge amount.

  (5). After marking a defect mark (haze information), the presence or absence of next haze information is determined. If the next haze information does not exist, the marking completion operation is started and the voltage applied to the discharge valve opening / closing piezoelectric actuator 18 is slowly lowered. 0v is set to enter a standby state (timing T8).

  (6). In the standby state, with the discharge valve 40 closed, the liquid discharge amount control piezoelectric actuator 27 is driven at a high speed with a small amplitude to vibrate the liquid (ink in this embodiment) in the liquid chamber 5 and thereby the component particles of the ink. Recombination is prevented (timing T9).

  According to the example as described above, the nozzle device 100 according to the present embodiment can be applied to the technique of marking the wrinkle inspection result information with the dot pattern on the steel plate side end.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which the nozzle device 100 according to the present embodiment is applied to the technique of marking the wrinkle inspection result information with a dot pattern on the steel plate side end (therefore, the liquid in the liquid chamber 5 is ink). In addition, in the industrial field, in order to distribute and supply an arbitrary amount of adhesive, lubricant, coating material, etc., regardless of the viscosity of the material, at high speed and with high accuracy. The nozzle device 100 can be applied.

  Further, in the medical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology fields, the nozzle device 100 can be applied to supply and distribute drugs, solutions, reagents, and the like in any minute amount with high accuracy.

It is front sectional drawing which shows the nozzle apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the voltage (horizontal axis) applied to a piezoelectric actuator, and the displacement amount (vertical axis) of a piezoelectric actuator. It is a time chart which shows operation | movement of a nozzle apparatus. It is a time chart of the nozzle apparatus in the case of an Example. It is a block diagram which shows the apparatus structure in the case of an Example. It is a figure which shows the manufacturing line outline in the case of an Example. It is a sectional side view which shows the conventional nozzle apparatus. It is a figure which shows the steel plate in which a dot is formed with the conventional nozzle apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

100 Nozzle device 5 Liquid chamber 7 Nozzle member (nozzle)
6 Nozzle hole (discharge port)
18 Discharge valve open / close piezoelectric actuator (multilayer piezoelectric actuator)
9 Push lot (nozzle opening and closing member)
21 Weight 22 Spring (elastic body)
23 Spring support (bias force adjusting means)
25 Spring push screw (bias force adjusting means)
27 Piezoelectric actuator for controlling liquid discharge (piezoelectric actuator)
31 Diaphragm

Claims (3)

A liquid chamber for storing liquid;
A nozzle having a discharge port for discharging the liquid in the liquid chamber to a discharge target;
A laminated piezoelectric actuator; a nozzle opening / closing member that is fixed to one end of the laminated piezoelectric actuator to open / close the discharge port; a weight fixed to the other end of the laminated piezoelectric actuator and heavier than the nozzle opening / closing member; and the nozzle opening / closing member. An elastic body that urges the nozzle opening / closing member toward the discharge port through the weight and the laminated piezoelectric actuator to press the discharge port and close the discharge port, and extends the stacked piezoelectric actuator In this state, the nozzle opening and closing member closes the discharge port, while the stacked piezoelectric actuator is instantaneously shortened from the state in which the discharge port is closed, thereby separating the nozzle opening and closing member from the discharge port. A nozzle opening and closing mechanism that opens the outlet;
A liquid having a piezoelectric actuator and a diaphragm in which one end of the piezoelectric actuator is fixed and partitioning the liquid chamber and an arrangement region of the piezoelectric actuator, and the volume of the liquid chamber can be changed according to expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric actuator A discharge amount control mechanism;
With
At the timing when the discharge port is opened by the nozzle opening / closing mechanism, the piezoelectric actuator of the liquid discharge amount control mechanism is extended to push the diaphragm toward the liquid chamber, thereby reducing the volume of the liquid chamber. A nozzle device that discharges a liquid corresponding to a decrease amount to a discharge target through the discharge port.   The nozzle device according to claim 1, further comprising an urging force adjusting unit that adjusts an urging force of the elastic body by adjusting an amount of compression of the elastic body.   3. The nozzle device according to claim 1, wherein high-speed vibration can be applied to the liquid in the liquid chamber by expanding and contracting the piezoelectric actuator of the liquid discharge amount control mechanism at a high speed with a small amplitude.

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