JP7462387B2 - Sealer application device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sealer application device, and in particular to a technology that enables the application height of a sealer applied in a line to a workpiece to be measured during application work.

Conventionally, in panel members consisting of an inner panel and an outer panel, such as door panels and hood panels that make up the body parts of an automobile, the inner panel and the outer panel are assembled together by folding the end of the outer panel towards the inner panel.

When panels are assembled as described above, a sealer may be applied to the contact points between the panels in order to improve various properties such as waterproofing. Here, automating the sealer application process is important to improve productivity, and to automate this, it is important not only to be able to accurately apply the sealer, but also to be able to accurately inspect the state of the sealer application (for example, a process to evaluate the amount of sealer applied, such as measuring the width of the sealer application) during the application process.

For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a method of measuring the width dimension (coating width) of an applied sealer using a sensor consisting of a laser light, a light receiving unit, and a calculation unit. Specifically, it proposes measuring the coating width of an applied sealer by irradiating a linear laser light from a light source onto a workpiece coated with a sealer, receiving the light reflected from the workpiece surface with an image element of the light receiving unit, and calculating the coating width of the sealer from the brightness of the received reflected light (see Figure 5 of the same document, etc.).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-159075

On the other hand, in order to properly evaluate the state of the sealer application, it is necessary to accurately evaluate the amount of sealer applied, and for that, it is important to accurately know not only the application width of the sealer described above, but also the application height. However, with the conventional measurement technology described above, only the application position and application width of the sealer are measured and evaluated, and the application height is not evaluated. Furthermore, with the measurement technology described in Patent Document 1, the application width is calculated based on the brightness and darkness of the image, making it difficult to measure the application height of the sealer.

In light of the above, the technical problem to be solved in this specification is to be able to accurately measure not only the application width of a line of applied sealant but also the application height during the application process.

The above problem is solved by the sealer application device of the present invention. That is, this sealer application device is a sealer application device that includes a sealer gun that can apply a sealer to a workpiece in a line, a coating robot that can move the sealer gun, an imaging device that can capture an image of the linear sealer applied to the workpiece and obtain the image, and a control device that can control the coating robot and the imaging device, and further includes an irradiation device that can irradiate a line laser so as to cross the linear sealer, and the control device controls the imaging device and the irradiation device to capture an image of the portion of the linear sealer that is crossed by the line laser and obtain the image, and the control device is characterized in that it has a height dimension calculation unit that calculates the height dimension of the linear sealer based on the step between the linear sealer and the workpiece generated by the line laser in the image.

In this way, the sealer applicator of the present invention can irradiate a line laser so as to cross the sealer applied in a line, and calculate the height dimension of the linear sealer based on the step between the linear sealer and the workpiece that is generated on the line laser in the image by this irradiation. Therefore, the coating height of the linear sealer can be accurately measured even during the coating operation. In addition, the sealer applicator of the present invention can measure the coating height of the linear sealer by so-called image processing, so that the same image used to measure the coating height can be subjected to known image processing for measuring the coating width of the linear sealer. This makes it possible to accurately measure both the coating width and coating height of the sealer during the coating operation with minimal equipment and labor. Therefore, the amount of sealer applied can be accurately evaluated during the coating operation, which makes it possible to automate the coating operation.

In addition, in the sealer application device of the present invention, the imaging device and the irradiation device are configured to move along with the sealer gun and to be able to change their positions relative to the sealer gun, and the control device may control the movement of the imaging device and the irradiation device relative to the sealer gun so that the portion of the linear sealer that is crossed by the line laser can always be imaged.

When applying the sealer in a line, the sealer gun follows a path that follows the shape of the sealer to be applied. Therefore, the imaging device and irradiation device that move with the sealer gun also follow the same path as the sealer gun. In this case, the sealer applied in a line includes not only straight parts but also curved parts. Therefore, for example, when the imaging device and irradiation device are always fixed in a predetermined position relative to the sealer gun, even if they are moved with the sealer gun, the sealer gun may interfere with imaging or irradiation of the line laser. In view of this point, in the sealer application device of the present invention, the imaging device and irradiation device are configured to be able to change their positions relative to the sealer gun, and the control device controls the movement of the imaging device and irradiation device relative to the sealer gun so that the part of the linear sealer that the line laser crosses can always be imaged, so that the sealer gun can be reliably avoided from being interposed between the imaging device and the imaged area (the part of the linear sealer that the line laser crosses) and between the irradiation device and the imaged area. Therefore, it is possible to accurately and reliably measure the application height of the linear sealer at any time, regardless of the shape of the linear sealer applied to the workpiece.

In addition, in the sealer application device according to the present invention, the control device may control the movement of the imaging device and the irradiation device so that the line laser is always irradiated in a predetermined direction relative to the direction in which the image is captured by the imaging device.

As described above, when the control device controls the imaging device and the irradiation device to capture the portion of the linear sealer that is crossed by the line laser and acquire the image, the shape of the line laser in the acquired image may vary depending on the irradiation angle of the linear sealer in the imaged area, even if the same area as the area imaged by the imaging device is irradiated. In this case, it is necessary to calculate the actual coating height from the step that appears in the line laser in the image, taking into account the irradiation angle of the line laser to the linear sealer each time, and there is a risk that the calculation will take a lot of time. In contrast, as in the present invention, by controlling the movement of the imaging device and the irradiation device so that the line laser is always irradiated in a predetermined direction with respect to the imaging direction of the image by the imaging device, the irradiation angle of the line laser to the linear sealer in the image obtained by the imaging device is always kept constant. Therefore, the amount of calculation required to calculate the actual coating height from the step in the image can be reduced, and it is possible to measure the coating height of the linear sealer in a short time.

In addition, in the sealer application device of the present invention, the control device may control the movement of the imaging device and the irradiation device so that the linear sealer and the line laser are always included in the center of the image.

In this way, by controlling the movement of the imaging device and the irradiation device so that the linear sealer and the line laser are always included in the center of the image, the amount of calculation required to calculate the actual coating height from the step that appears on the line laser in the image can be reduced. This also makes it possible to measure the coating height of the linear sealer in a short time. Furthermore, by shortening the time required to measure the coating height in this way, more time can be spent on measuring the coating width, which increases the options for coating width measurement means (preferably coating width calculation means using image processing), making it possible to achieve high-quality coating amount evaluation at low cost.

As described above, the sealer application device of the present invention makes it possible to accurately measure not only the application width of the sealer applied in a line but also the application height during the application process.

1 is a side view showing an overall configuration of a sealer application device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the area around the seal gun shown in FIG. 1 . 1A is a plan view showing the relationship between the imaging direction of the sealer and the irradiation direction of the line laser, and FIG. 1B is a side view showing the relationship between the imaging direction of the sealer and the irradiation direction of the line laser. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the robot control panel shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the image processing unit shown in FIG. 4 . FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an example of image processing for measuring the application width of a sealer. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an example of image processing for measuring the application height of a sealer. 11 is a plan view conceptually showing the positional relationship between a sealer gun and an image sensor during a sealer application operation. FIG.

The following describes the sealer application device according to one embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sealer application device 1 includes a sealer gun 2 capable of applying sealer S in a line shape to a workpiece W, a coating robot 3 capable of moving the sealer gun 2, an imaging device 4 capable of capturing an image of the sealer S applied to the workpiece W, an irradiation device 5 capable of irradiating the sealer S with a line laser L, and a robot control panel 6 capable of controlling the sealer gun 2, the coating robot 3, the imaging device 4, and the irradiation device 5. In this embodiment, the robot control panel 6 corresponds to the control device according to the present invention.

In this embodiment, the sealer gun 2, coating robot 3, imaging device 4, and irradiation device 5 are controlled only by the robot control panel 6. However, this is not limiting, and each element of the sealer coating device 1 may be controlled by multiple control devices.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the tip of the coating robot 3 in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, the sealer gun 2 has a dispenser 7 for sealer S, a nozzle 8 capable of discharging the sealer S supplied from the dispenser 7, and a motor 9 as a drive device for the dispenser 7. Here, the dispenser 7 is connected so that the sealer S can be supplied from a sealer supply device (not shown). In this embodiment, the motor 9, which is the subject of drive control of the sealer gun 2, and the sealer supply device (not shown) are connected to the robot control panel 6.

As shown in FIG. 1, the coating robot 3 has an articulated arm 10, and the above-mentioned seal gun 2 is attached to the tip of the arm. The articulated arm 10 moves and operates the seal gun 2 attached to its tip in three dimensions by rotating, extending, and swinging.

The imaging device 4 includes an image sensor 11 and a drive device 12 that rotates the image sensor 11 around the seal gun 2.

The image sensor 11 may be composed of various sensors or cameras such as a CCD sensor or a CMOS sensor. The image sensor 11 is supported by the sealer gun 2 via a drive device 12. The image sensor 11 may capture an image of the sealer S applied to the workpiece W and obtain the image. In this case, the image may be a still image or a video image. The image sensor 11 has a storage unit (not shown) that stores image data of the captured sealer S. The image sensor 11 is also connected to the robot control panel 6 and transmits the acquired image data to the robot control panel 6. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the image sensor 11 is oriented diagonally downward, and is capable of capturing an image of the sealer S applied to the workpiece W.

The drive device 12 includes an actuator 13 that drives the image sensor 11 and a support member 14 that movably supports the actuator 13.

The actuator 13 is, for example, an electric motor. As shown in FIG. 2, the actuator 13 has a pinion 16 fixed to its rotation shaft 15. The actuator 13 is supported by the support member 14 so that it can move around the support member 14. In this case, the actuator 13 is connected to the robot control panel 6 and can be operated by external axis control of the coating robot 3.

The support member 14 is annular as a whole, and is fixed to the seal gun 2 with the seal gun 2 inserted through a hole provided in the center. The outer periphery of the support member 14 is provided with a gear portion 17 (shown by cross-hatching in FIG. 2) that meshes with the pinion 16 of the actuator 13. In this case, although not shown, a holding member that holds the pinion 16 in mesh with the gear portion 17 is provided on the outside of the support member 14. Therefore, when the rotating shaft 15 of the actuator 13 is rotated to rotate the pinion 16 meshing with the gear portion 17, the actuator 13 and the image sensor 11 connected to the actuator 13 via the connecting member 18 move along the outer periphery of the support member 14 while maintaining the above-mentioned meshing. As a result, the image sensor 11 rotates around the seal gun 2 (moves on a concentric circle centered on the seal gun 2).

The irradiation device 5 is composed of, for example, a line laser projector, and is connected to the actuator 13 together with the image sensor 11 via a connecting member 18. This allows the irradiation device 5 to move around the seal gun 2 together with the image sensor 11. More precisely, the irradiation device 5 can move around the seal gun 2 together with the image sensor 11 while keeping its positional relationship with respect to the image sensor 11 (including its attitude with respect to the image sensor 11) constant.

3(a) is a diagram showing the relationship between the imaging direction D1 of the image sensor 11 when viewed from the longitudinal direction of the sheath gun 2 and the irradiation direction D2 of the line laser L by the irradiation device 5, and FIG. 3(b) is a diagram showing the relationship between the imaging direction D1 and the irradiation direction D2 when viewed from the side of the sheath gun 2. First, as shown in FIG. 3(a), when the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 are viewed in a plan view, the imaging direction D1 and the irradiation direction D2 are set to be parallel to each other and facing each other, as shown in FIG. 3(a). Also, as shown in FIG. 3(b), when the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 are viewed from the side, the imaging direction D1 and the irradiation direction D2 are in a cross relationship at a predetermined angle θ1. In this embodiment, the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 are mutually connected via the connecting member 18. Therefore, the above-mentioned positional relationship is always constant regardless of the positions of the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5. The angle θ1 can be any value, but from the perspective of maximizing the size of the steps S1 and S2 generated in the line laser L described below, it is best to set the angle θ1 to, for example, 90°.

As shown in FIG. 4, the robot control panel 6 includes an arithmetic processing unit 19 configured by a CPU, a memory unit 20 configured by a ROM, a RAM, a HDD, etc., a robot control unit 21 that controls the coating robot 3, a position control unit 22 that controls the positions of the imaging device 4 (image sensor 11) and the irradiation device 5, an imaging control unit 23, and an image processing unit 24.

The calculation processing unit 19 executes various calculation processes required for controlling the operation of the articulated arm 10 and the operation of the sealer gun 2 based on the programs and data stored in the memory unit 20. For example, the calculation processing unit 19 calculates the timing of the image sensor 11 capturing an image of the sealer S based on the position data of the sealer gun 2 transmitted from the coating robot 3, and calculates the timing of the irradiation of the line laser L by the irradiation device 5. Furthermore, the calculation processing unit 19 calculates the desired position of the image sensor 11 relative to the sealer gun 2, in other words, the amount of movement of the image sensor 11 by the drive device 12, based on the position data of the sealer gun 2.

The memory unit 20 stores a program for controlling the discharge operation of the articulated arm 10 of the coating robot 3 and the sealer gun 2, a program for causing the coating robot 3 to reapply the sealer S to defective areas in order to resolve defective coating of the sealer S, and data such as the type of workpiece W and the position data (coordinate data) of the sealer gun 2.

The robot control unit 21 cooperates with the calculation processing unit 19 to control the driving of the articulated arm 10 in the application robot 3. The robot control unit 21 also controls the discharge of the sealer S by the sealer gun 2, specifically, controls the driving of the motor 9 for the dispenser 7. In this embodiment, the robot control unit 21 controls the driving of the sealer gun 2, but for example, a sealer gun control unit (not shown) may be provided separately from the robot control unit 21, and the driving of the sealer gun 2 (discharge control of the sealer S) may be controlled by this sealer gun control unit.

The position control unit 22 cooperates with the calculation processing unit 19 to control the movement of the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 based on the position data of the sealer gun 2 transmitted from the coating robot 3. In this embodiment, the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 are configured to move together, so the position control unit 22 controls the positions of the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 by controlling the drive of the common actuator 13.

The imaging control unit 23 transmits an imaging command for the sealer S to the image sensor 11 based on the imaging timing obtained by the calculation processing unit 19. The imaging control unit 23 also transmits an irradiation command for the line laser L to the irradiation device 5 based on the irradiation timing obtained by the calculation processing unit 19. For example, the imaging timing and the irradiation timing are adjusted so that the image of the line laser L is included in the image data acquired by the image sensor 11. Note that, although the imaging control unit 23 controls the irradiation of the line laser L in this embodiment, for example, an irradiation control unit (not shown) may be provided separately from the imaging control unit 23, and the irradiation of the irradiation device 5 may be controlled by this irradiation control unit.

5, the image processing unit 24 includes a first image processing unit 25 that performs image processing on the image data acquired by the image sensor 11 of the imaging device 4 to measure the application width of the sealer S, a second image processing unit 26 that performs image processing on the image data acquired by the image sensor 11 to measure the application height of the sealer S, and a memory unit 27. This second image processing unit 26 corresponds to the height dimension calculation unit according to the present invention.

The first image processing unit 25 performs a series of image processing on the image data acquired from the image sensor 11 to measure the application width of the sealer S included in the image data. This series of image processing can be performed using known image processing for measuring the application width, for example, image processing using the detection area 28 shown in FIG. 6 is applied (for details, see, for example, JP 2017-44680 A). This detection area 28 has multiple curves CL and is used to be superimposed so as to intersect with the image of the sealer S in the image data. Then, although detailed illustration is omitted, the intersection point A between one side edge portion Sa of the sealer S and each curve CL is calculated by calculation, and the intersection point B between the other side edge portion Sb of the sealer S and each curve CL is calculated by calculation, and the distance (straight-line distance) between the two intersection points A and B is calculated as the application width of the sealer S.

In this embodiment, the detection area 28 is positioned by the first image processing unit 25 so that its center 28a coincides with (overlaps with) the image of Sheila S in the image data. Also, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the center 11a of the image data acquired by the image sensor 11 coincides with the center 28a of the detection area 28, and the centers 11a and 28a overlap with the image of Sheila S in the image data, so that Sheila S is imaged.

As shown in FIG. 7, the second image processing unit 26 is capable of acquiring the height dimension (i.e., coating height) of the portion of the sealer S that is traversed by the line laser L based on the steps S1, S2 between the sealer S and the workpiece W that are generated by the line laser L in the image data acquired by the image sensor 11, where the image data includes the line laser L traversing the sealer S.

In detail, the second image processing unit 26 calculates the coordinate data of the sealer side interruptions La1, Lb1 generated in the line laser L crossing the sealer S in the image data shown in Figure 7, and calculates the coordinate data of the workpiece side interruptions La2, Lb2. Then, based on the values of the calculated coordinate data La1, Lb1, La2, Lb2, it calculates the step S1 between one side edge Sa of the sealer S and the workpiece W generated in the line laser L in the image data, and the step S2 between the other side edge Sb of the sealer S and the workpiece W.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the sealer S is imaged and the line laser L is irradiated so that the center 11a of the image data acquired by the image sensor 11 overlaps with the image of the line laser L and the image of the sealer S included in the image data. Of course, this is not limited to this, and the overlapping portion of the line laser L and the sealer S may be located at a position away from the center 11a of the image data.

The memory unit 27 stores various software such as a program for image processing of image data acquired by the image sensor 11, a program for measuring the coating width of the sealer S using the detection area 28, a program for measuring the coating height of the sealer S based on the steps S1 and S2 generated in the line laser L, and a program for judging the quality of the coating state of the sealer S applied to the workpiece W, as well as image data captured by the image sensor 11 and data related to the results of the coating state judgment performed by each image processing unit 25, 26. The memory unit 27 also stores reference data for the sealer S in a desired coating state (e.g., a reference value for the coating width, a reference value for the coating height).

The following describes how to apply sealer S to a workpiece W using the sealer application device 1 configured as described above.

First, the sealer application device 1 drives the articulated arm 10 of the application robot 3 to move the sealer gun 2 to the application start position. At the application start position, the nozzle 8 of the sealer gun 2 is positioned at an upper position away from the workpiece W. At this time, the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 are supported by the support member 14 at the initial position (standby position).

The robot control unit 21 of the robot control panel 6 drives the articulated arm 10 to move the sealer gun 2 along a predetermined trajectory. Simultaneously with the movement of the sealer gun 2, the robot control unit 21 drives the dispenser 7 of the sealer gun 2 to eject sealer S from the nozzle 8. In conjunction with this operation, the coating robot 3 transmits position data (coordinate data) of the tip of the nozzle 8 to the calculation processing unit 19 of the robot control panel 6 at any time.

The calculation processing unit 19 calculates the coordinates of the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 based on the input position data of the nozzle 8. The calculation processing unit 19 also recognizes the traveling direction of the nozzle 8 based on the position data of the nozzle 8, and calculates the control angle θ2 of the image sensor 11 so that the image sensor 11 is always located behind the nozzle 8 in the traveling direction.

The control angle θ2 in the image sensor 11 will be described below with reference to FIG. 8. The robot control panel 6 has a three-dimensional coordinate system (tool coordinate system) for the coating robot 3 set therein. This coordinate system includes a Z axis set to coincide with the central axis of the sealer gun 2, and an X axis and a Y axis that are perpendicular to the Z axis and perpendicular to each other. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the sealer gun 2, the image sensor 11, and the irradiation device 5 in a plan view, and the trajectory T of the sealer gun 2. In this illustrated example, the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 are rotatable at a predetermined radius around the Z axis (the central axis of the sealer gun 2). The trajectory T of the sealer gun 2 is drawn by the nozzle 8 of the sealer gun 2 to apply the sealer S to the workpiece W in a predetermined pattern, and FIG. 8 shows a curved portion as part of the trajectory.

The rotation radius of the image sensor 11, i.e., the value of the distance between the image sensor 11 and the seal gun 2, is stored in the memory unit 20 of the robot control panel 6. In addition, in FIG. 8, the position of the seal gun 2 is displayed on the XY plane of the coordinate system with the center of the seal gun 2, i.e., the center of the nozzle 8, as control point O1. The position of the image sensor 11 is displayed on the XY plane of the coordinate system with the center of the image sensor 11 as control point O2.

The calculation processing unit 19 of the robot control panel 6 defines the angle between the X-axis of this coordinate system and the straight line I connecting the control points O1 and O2 as the control angle θ2. The calculation processing unit 19 calculates the control angle θ2 based on the application pattern of the sealer S previously recorded in the memory unit 20, i.e., data related to the trajectory T of the nozzle 8 of the sealer gun 2, the position data (coordinate data) of the control point O1, and data related to the distance between the control points O1 and O2, so that the control point O2 follows the trajectory T of the nozzle 8.

The position control unit 22 of the robot control panel 6 cooperates with the calculation processing unit 19 to operate the drive device 12 so as to achieve the control angle θ2 calculated by the calculation processing unit 19. Specifically, the position control unit 22 changes the position of the image sensor 11 relative to the seal gun 2 by driving the actuator 13 to rotate the pinion 16.

The position control unit 22 also changes the positions of the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 so as to capture an image of the portion of the linearly applied sealer S that is crossed by the line laser L and acquire the image. In this embodiment, the irradiation device 5 is connected to the image sensor 11 via a connecting member 18, and the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 are set to a predetermined positional relationship as shown in FIG. 3. Therefore, as described above, when the position of the image sensor 11 is controlled by the position control unit 22, the positional relationship between the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 is always maintained in the state shown in FIG. 3, regardless of the positions of the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5.

In this embodiment, the image sensor 11 is inclined in a direction along the straight line I, so that the area imaged by the image sensor 11 is set on the straight line I. In addition, the center point O3 of the irradiation device 5 is set on the straight line I, and the area irradiated by the line laser L by the irradiation device 5 is also set on the straight line I.

Meanwhile, the calculation processing unit 19 of the robot control panel 6 transmits a trigger signal for imaging by the image sensor 11 to the imaging control unit 23. This trigger signal is transmitted to the imaging control unit 23 each time the image sensor 11 travels a predetermined distance in conjunction with the movement of the sealer gun 2, or each time a predetermined time has elapsed. Upon receiving this trigger signal, the imaging control unit 23 controls the image sensor 11 so that the image sensor 11 captures an image of the sealer S located below the image sensor 11 (diagonally below in this embodiment) among the linear sealer S applied to the workpiece W. The captured image data is transmitted from the image sensor 11 to the image processing unit 24.

The calculation processing unit 19 also transmits a trigger signal to the imaging control unit 23 for the irradiation device 5 to irradiate the line laser L. This trigger signal is transmitted to the imaging control unit 23 each time the irradiation device 5 travels a predetermined distance in conjunction with the movement of the sealer gun 2, or each time a predetermined time has elapsed. Upon receiving this trigger signal, the imaging control unit 23 controls the irradiation device 5 so that the irradiation device 5 irradiates the line laser L so as to cross the portion of the sealer S that is imaged by the image sensor 11 out of the linear sealer S applied to the workpiece W. As a result, image data including the linear sealer S and the line laser L crossing this sealer S is captured and transmitted to the image processing unit 24.

The image processing unit 24 measures the application width of the sealer S included in the image data transmitted from the image sensor 11 by the first image processing unit 25. Here, the first image processing unit 25 executes image processing to superimpose the detection area 28 on the image of the sealer S in the acquired image data. Specifically, if necessary, the position and orientation of the image of the sealer S are corrected to make the center 28a of the detection area 28 coincide with the image of the sealer S (in this embodiment, the center 11a of the image is made to coincide with the center 28a of the detection area 28, so the above-mentioned processing is not necessary). After that, as described above, the first image processing unit 25 acquires the intersection points A and B between the sealer S and the multiple curves CL constituting the detection area 28, and calculates the distance (straight line) between the intersection points A and B for each curve CL, thereby measuring the application width of the sealer S.

The first image processing unit 25 then compares the calculated application width of the sealer S with the reference data (reference value or threshold value) stored in the memory unit 27 to determine whether it is good or bad. If the measured application width of the sealer S does not reach the reference value and the application state of the sealer S at that position is determined to be poor, the first image processing unit 25 transmits data relating to the position (coordinates) of the poor application to the robot control panel 6 in order to resolve the poor application.

Specifically, if the first image processing unit 25 judges that the application state of the sealer S is defective, the image processing unit 24 sends this information to the robot control panel 6 along with the position data (coordinate data) of the nozzle 8. When the robot control panel 6 receives this defective judgment information, the calculation processing unit 19 and the robot control unit 21 drive the articulated arm 10 to move the sealer gun 2 to the position (coordinate) that was judged to be defective. The robot control unit 21 then operates the sealer gun 2 to eject sealer S from the nozzle 8 and correct the defective area.

The image processing unit 24 also measures the application height of the sealer S included in the image data transmitted from the image sensor 11 by the second image processing unit 26. Here, the second image processing unit 26 executes image processing (calculation) to calculate the size of the steps S1, S2 generated in the image of the line laser L crossing the sealer S in the acquired image data. Specifically, the second image processing unit 26 calculates the coordinate data of the sealer side interruptions La1, Lb1 generated in the line laser L crossing the sealer S in the image data shown in FIG. 6, and calculates the coordinate data of the work side interruptions La2, Lb2. Then, based on the values of the calculated coordinate data La1, Lb1, La2, Lb2, the step S1 between one side edge portion Sa of the sealer S and the work W generated in the line laser L in the image data, and the step S2 between the other side edge portion Sb of the sealer S and the work W are calculated. Then, for example, the larger value of the steps S1, S2 is measured (evaluated) as the application height of the sealer S.

The second image processing unit 26 then compares the measured application height of the sealer S with reference data (reference value or threshold value) stored in the memory unit 27 to determine whether it is good or bad. If the measured application height of the sealer S does not reach the reference value and the application state of the sealer S at that position is determined to be poor, the second image processing unit 26 transmits data relating to the position (coordinates) of the poor application to the robot control panel 6 in order to resolve the poor application.

Specifically, if the second image processing unit 26 judges that the application state of the sealer S is defective, the image processing unit 24 sends this information to the robot control panel 6 together with the position data (coordinate data) of the nozzle 8. When the robot control panel 6 receives this defective judgment information, the calculation processing unit 19 and the robot control unit 21 drive the articulated arm 10 to move the sealer gun 2 to the position (coordinate) judged to be defective. The robot control unit 21 then operates the sealer gun 2 to eject sealer S from the nozzle 8 and correct the defective area.

As described above, according to the sealer application device 1 of this embodiment, the line laser L is irradiated so as to cross the sealer S applied in a line, and an image of the sealer S is acquired so that the line laser L is reflected, and the height dimension of the sealer S can be calculated based on the step S1 (D2) between the sealer S and the workpiece W generated by the line laser L in the image. Therefore, the application height of the sealer S applied in a line can be accurately measured even during the application work. In addition, according to this sealer application device 1, the application height of the sealer S can be measured by so-called image processing (second image processing unit 26), so that the same image used for measuring the application height can be subjected to known image processing (for example, image processing using the detection area 28 shown in FIG. 6) for measuring the application width of the linear sealer. This makes it possible to accurately measure both the application width and application height of the sealer S during the application work with minimal equipment and labor. Therefore, the application amount of the sealer S can be accurately evaluated during the application work, which makes it possible to automate the application work.

In this embodiment, the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 move with the sealer gun 2 and are configured so that their positions relative to the sealer gun 2 can be changed by the drive device 12, and the robot control panel 6 as a control device controls the movement of the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 relative to the sealer gun 2 so that the portion of the linear sealer S that is crossed by the line laser L can always be imaged. This reliably prevents the sealer gun 2 from being interposed between the image sensor 11 and the imaged area (the portion of the sealer S that is crossed by the line laser L) and between the irradiation device 5 and the imaged area. Therefore, regardless of the form of the sealer S applied to the workpiece W, it is possible to accurately and reliably measure the application height of the sealer S at any time.

In this embodiment, the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 are connected to each other by the connecting member 18, so that the relationship between the imaging direction D1 of the sealer S by the image sensor 11 and the irradiation direction D2 of the line laser L by the irradiation device 5 is kept constant as shown in FIG. 3, and the sealer S is imaged and the line laser L is irradiated so that the center 11a of the image data acquired by the image sensor 11 overlaps with the image of the line laser L and the image of the sealer S contained in the image data as shown in FIG. 7. In this way, image data of the sealer S is acquired, and image processing for measuring the coating height is performed by the second image processing unit 26, so that the acquired image data can always be processed under the same conditions. Therefore, the time required for processing can be significantly reduced, which makes it possible to respond to high-speed sealer application work.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the sealer applicator and the application method using this applicator according to the present invention can have configurations other than those described above without departing from the spirit of the invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 are connected to each other by the connecting member 18, and the image sensor 11 is driven by a specified actuator 13, so that the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 can be moved to a specified position. However, this is not limited to the above. For example, although not shown, a new actuator separate from the actuator 13 may be provided to configure the irradiation device 5 to be driven independently of the image sensor 11, and the operation of each actuator may be controlled by the robot control panel 6 so that the positional relationship shown in FIG. 3 can be maintained between the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 even after the movement.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the angle θ1 between the imaging direction D1 of the sealer S by the image sensor 11 and the irradiation direction D2 of the line laser L by the irradiation device 5 is maintained constant, but of course this is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to provide a mechanism that allows the posture of at least one of the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 to be changed, making the angle θ1 variable.

In the above embodiment, the imaging direction D1 of the image sensor 11 is set diagonally downward (see FIG. 3(a)), but it is of course also possible to set the imaging direction D1 vertically downward.

In the above embodiment, the imaging device 4 (image sensor 11) and the irradiation device 5 are both supported by the sealer gun 2 and move together with the sealer gun 2, but of course other configurations are also possible. For example, the image sensor 11 and the irradiation device 5 may be held at a position away from the sealer gun 2, and the sealer S applied from the sealer gun 2 may be tracked while imaging and the line laser L is irradiated.

In the above embodiment, the robot control panel 6 (control device) compares the measured values of the coating width and coating height with the reference value or threshold value in the memory unit 27 to determine whether the coating is good or bad. However, it is also possible to determine whether the coating is good or bad based on other criteria. For example, the robot control panel 6 can determine whether the coating state is good or bad by considering the product of the coating width and coating height (multiplied by a predetermined coefficient) as the coating amount and comparing this coating amount with the reference value or threshold value.

1 Sealer application device 2 Sealer gun 3 Application robot 4 Imaging device 5 Irradiation device 6 Robot control panel (control device)
Reference Signs List 8: Nozzle 9: Motor 10: Articulated arm 11: Image sensor 13: Actuator 18: Connection member 21: Robot control unit 22: Position control unit 25: First image processing unit 26: Second image processing unit L: Line laser S: Sealer Sa, Sb: Side edge portion W of sealer: Workpiece

Claims (2)

A sealer application device including a sealer gun capable of applying a sealer to a workpiece in a linear manner, an application robot capable of moving the sealer gun, an imaging device capable of imaging the linear sealer applied to the workpiece and acquiring the image, and a control device capable of controlling the application robot and the imaging device,
The linear sealer further includes an irradiation device capable of irradiating a line laser so as to cross the linear sealer,
The imaging device and the irradiation device are configured to move along with the seal gun and to be able to change their positions relative to the seal gun,
the control device controls the movement of the imaging device and the irradiation device so that the imaging device is always positioned behind the sealer gun in the traveling direction and always captures an image of a portion of the linear sealer that is crossed by the line laser, and acquires the image;
The control device is a sealer application device that calculates the distance between an intermittent portion on the linear sealer side and an intermittent portion on the work side of the line laser that crosses the linear sealer in the image as a step, and has a height dimension calculation unit that calculates the height dimension of the linear sealer based on the calculated step . The sealer applicator according to claim 1, wherein the control device controls the movement of the imaging device and the irradiation device so that the line laser is always irradiated in a predetermined direction relative to the imaging direction of the image by the imaging device.

Images