JPH0318921Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for determining whether or not a plurality of articles continuously conveyed by a conveying device are coated or not.

A continuous painting line for parts such as automobile propeller shafts generally includes a parts loading section, a painting booth, a drying oven such as an infrared drying oven, a parts unloading section, and a trolley conveyor that sequentially circulates through these sections. The parts loaded onto the transport device in the parts loading section are transported from the parts loading section to a painting booth, where they are painted and then passed through a relatively long drying oven. When passing through the interior, it is dried in the drying oven, and then transported to a parts unloading section, where it is unloaded from a conveying device.

In such a continuous coating line, even if parts cannot be coated in the coating booth due to, for example, a blockage in the tip of the coating gun, the uncoated parts can be transported to the drying oven by a conveyance device. It is not known that the parts have not been properly painted until they are transported to the parts wholesale section. In this case, while the unpainted parts are transported from the painting booth to the parts wholesale section, it is equivalent to a continuous painting line being operated idly, and the parts must be repainted, and furthermore, the painted parts must be repainted. Parts assembly lines, which are the post-process for assembling parts, will also have to be shut down.

In order to deal with the above-mentioned problems in a continuous painting line, one of the devices is to determine whether or not the objects that are continuously conveyed by the conveyor are coated. A sensor that detects the amount of natural light or indoor lighting and determines whether the amount of light is greater than a predetermined value, and a sensor that responds when the sensor detects that the amount of light is greater than a predetermined value. 2. Description of the Related Art A painted/unpainted article determining device is already known, which has means for outputting a signal and determines whether an article discharged from a painting booth is coated or not.

However, in such conventional apparatuses for determining painted and unpainted objects, the amount of light such as natural light is not constant, and the amount of light irradiated on the object to be judged differs greatly between daytime and night, so the light is reflected off the surface of the object to be judged. Painted articles may be determined to be unpainted, or an unpainted item may be determined to be a painted item. In addition, in the conventional apparatus for determining whether an object is painted or unpainted, as described above, only one sensor is installed to detect the amount of light reflected by the surface of the object to be determined, which results in poor identification accuracy. There's a problem.

Furthermore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 49-60587 discloses a laser device that irradiates laser light to three locations on the surface of a glass bottle, and three sensors that detect the laser light reflected by the corresponding locations on the surface of the glass bottle. describes an inspection device having a control circuit that responds to the detection of an abnormality by any of these sensors and indicates that the glass bottle is defective; It is conceivable to apply it to the determination of whether However, when applying the above-mentioned device to determine whether or not an article is coated, even if the entire article is properly coated, it may be difficult to determine whether the article is coated or not. If any one of the three sensors detects a predetermined amount of reflected light or more, it will be determined that the item is not painted. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately determine whether the entire item is painted or not. Moreover, painting equipment and the like may be stopped unnecessarily.

Furthermore, as a malfunction in the continuous painting line,
It is rare for a situation in which only a part of each of a plurality of articles remains unpainted to continue, and once a situation such as a blockage of the tip of a coating gun occurs, the entirety of each of the plurality of articles thereafter will not be coated.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems in the conventional apparatus for determining whether painted or unpainted articles and the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.
In view of the above-mentioned problems when applying the device described in Publication No. 60587 to distinguish between painted and unpainted objects, and in view of the occurrence of malfunctions in continuous coating lines, An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for determining whether an article is painted or not, which can determine with high precision whether or not an article is painted.

According to the present invention, this purpose is to provide a device for determining whether or not each of a plurality of articles continuously conveyed by a conveying device is coated or not, and to provide a device for determining whether or not each of a plurality of articles that are continuously conveyed by a conveying device is coated. a light source that irradiates light; a plurality of sensors that detect the amount of light reflected by the surface of the object to be determined and determine whether the amount of light is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; and a plurality of sensors that respond to the plurality of sensors. and an alarm means that issues an alarm to the effect that the article is unpainted, and the control circuit means is configured such that the number of the sensors that detect that the amount of light is equal to or greater than a predetermined value is greater than or equal to the plurality of sensors. a first part that operates in response only when the number of passengers is more than half; and a first part that operates the alarm means in response to the operation of the first part and outputs a signal to the conveying device to stop it; and a second part.

According to the discrimination device of the present invention, since the amount of light irradiated onto the surface of the object to be discriminated is constant, the amount of light reflected by the painted and unpainted objects is ensured at a constant value. can,
Since the plurality of sensors determine whether the article is painted or unpainted, the accuracy of the determination can be far improved compared to the case of conventional determination devices.

In particular, the identification device of the present invention simply uses multiple sensors, and if one of them detects a predetermined amount of reflected light or more, it will determine that the item is unpainted. The article is determined to be unpainted only when the number of sensors that detect that the amount of reflected light is equal to or greater than a predetermined value is more than half of the number of sensors used. Compared to the case where the device described in Publication No. 49-60587 is applied to distinguish between painted and unpainted articles, the accuracy of discrimination can be improved, and in particular, it is possible to It is possible to significantly reduce the possibility that it will be determined that it is unpainted.

Furthermore, according to the discriminating device of the present invention, if an article has not been properly painted, this will be reliably detected, and the alarm means will issue a warning that the article is unpainted, and the Since the conveyance equipment that conveys the
It is possible to save energy by preventing wasteful operation of conveyance equipment, etc., and as long as the article is properly painted, it will not be determined that the article is unpainted. This prevents painting equipment from being stopped unnecessarily, which improves the operating rate of continuous painting lines, and also avoids stopping assembly lines, etc. as a post-process for assembling painted items. can do.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is an illustration showing a continuous painting line for painting the propeller shaft of an automobile, in which the apparatus for determining whether an article is painted or unpainted according to the present invention is installed, and Figures 2 and 3 are
The figures are an illustrative plan view and an illustrative front view showing one embodiment of the apparatus for determining whether an article is coated or uncoated according to the present invention installed in the continuous coating line shown in FIG. 1, respectively, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a wiring diagram showing a control circuit of the painted/unpainted discriminating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

In these figures, 1 indicates the continuous painting line, and the continuous painting line 1 is connected to the loading section 2.
, a coating booth 3, an infrared drying oven 4, an unloading section 5, and a trolley conveyor 6 that sequentially circulates through these sections. The trolley conveyor 6 consists of a rail 7, a plurality of carriers 8 that move along the rail 7, and a chain 9 that interconnects the carriers 8 and is driven by a drive device not shown in the figure. There is. A chuck 11 is provided at the lower end of each carrier 8 to grip the upper end of the propeller shaft 10, so that the propeller shaft 10 is transported to each section while being suspended from the carrier 8. In this continuous painting line 1, loading section 2
The propeller shaft 10 loaded onto the trolley conveyor 6 is transported from the loading section 2 to the coating booth 3, where it is coated and dried as it passes through the infrared drying oven 4.
Thereafter, it is transported to an unloading section 5, where it is unloaded from a trolley conveyor 6.

Apparatus 12 for determining painted and unpainted articles according to the present invention
is arranged close to the trolley conveyor 6 on the exit side of the painting booth 3. A device 12 for determining whether an article is painted or uncoated uses a fluorescent lamp 1 as a light source that irradiates the surface of the propeller shaft 10 with light at a constant illuminance.
3, three sensors 14 to 16 that detect the amount of light reflected from the surface of the propeller shaft 10 and determine whether the amount of light is greater than a predetermined value, and at least two of these three sensors. The control circuit 17 outputs a signal in response to a sensor detecting that the amount of reflected light is greater than a predetermined value. Sensor 14-1
Reference numeral 6 denotes a reflective photoelectric switch such as Color Mark Sensor TL10 manufactured by Heidec Controls Co., Ltd., which can output an on signal or an off signal depending on the amount of light received. A limit switch 18 is disposed on the opposite side of the trolley conveyor 6 from the sensors 14 to 16, and the limit switch 18 is arranged so that the propeller shaft 10 to be determined is at a predetermined relative position with respect to the fluorescent lamp 13 and the sensors 14 to 16. When it reaches , it is closed by carrier 8. In the illustrated embodiment, the output of the fluorescent lamp 13 is set to be relatively large, and the axes of the sensors 14 to 16 are aligned with the propeller, in order to improve the accuracy of determining whether the article is painted or unpainted by the device for determining whether the article is painted or uncoated. It is provided at a position slightly shifted from the optical axis of the light from the fluorescent lamp 13 reflected by the shaft 10.

The control circuit 17 is a sequence control circuit, and includes a circuit including a switch 20 and a relay coil 21, which are controlled to open and close by the output signals of the amplifier 19 and the sensor 14, and a circuit which is controlled to open and close by the output signals of the amplifier 22 and the sensor 15. a circuit consisting of a switch 23 and a relay coil 24, a circuit consisting of a switch 26 and a relay coil 27 whose opening and closing are controlled by the output signals of an amplifier 25 and a sensor 16, and a limit switch 18 and a relay coil 28. The circuits are connected in parallel. switch 20,2
3 and 26 are closed in response to the output signal when the sensors 14 to 16 respectively detect that the amount of reflected light from the propeller shaft 10 is greater than a predetermined value, and the relay coils 21 and 2 are closed, respectively.
4 and 27 are excited.

In addition, in the control circuit 17, the relay coil 21
a circuit consisting of a make contact 21a closed by the relay coil 24 and a make contact 24a closed by the relay coil 24; A circuit consisting of a make contact 27a,
A circuit consisting of a make contact 24b closed by the relay coil 24 and a make contact 27b closed by the relay coil 27 are connected in parallel, so that at least two of the sensors 14 to 16 are connected to the circuit. When it is detected that the amount of reflected light received by It is becoming energized.

The relay coil 29 is designed to control the opening and closing of the make contact 29a, and the make contact 29a is activated by a relay (not shown) when the power switch 30, reset switch 31, and trolley conveyor 6 of the control circuit 17 are activated. Make contact 32 closed by the coil, relay coil 28
The relay coil 33 is connected in series with the make contact 28a whose opening/closing is controlled by the relay coil 33. The relay coil 33 controls the opening and closing of a make contact 33a connected in series with a reset switch 34 that operates in conjunction with the reset switch 31, and a make contact 33b connected in series with a revolving light 35 as an alarm device. It also controls the opening and closing of a make contact 33c connected in series with a relay coil 36 that controls opening and closing of a switch of a drive device (not shown) of the trolley conveyor 6.

Thus, switches 20, 23, 26, relay coils 21, 24, 27, make contacts 21a, 21
b, 24a, 24b, 27a, 27b, and the relay coil 29 is a first relay coil that operates in response only when the number of sensors that detect that the amount of reflected light is greater than or equal to a predetermined value is two or more. The make contacts 29a, 33b, 3
3c, the relay coils 33 and 36 constitute a second part which operates a rotating light 35 as an alarm means in response to the operation of the first part and outputs a signal to the conveying device to stop it.

In operation, the power switch 30 of the control circuit 17 is closed and the make contact 32 is closed when the drive, not shown, of the trolley conveyor 6 is activated. Next, when the propeller shaft 10 to be determined whether it is painted or not is transported to a predetermined relative position with respect to the fluorescent lamp 13 and the sensors 14 to 16, the limit switch 18 is closed and the relay coil 28 is energized. This closes the make contact 28a. In this case, if the propeller shaft 10 is painted and all or two of the sensors 14 to 16 detect that the amount of light reflected from the propeller shaft 10 is below a predetermined value, the relay Coil 29 is not energized and therefore its make contact 29a is not closed. Therefore, in this case, the revolving light 35 is not turned on, and the trolley conveyor 6 is not turned on.
The propeller shaft 10, which has not been stopped and is confirmed to be painted, is transported by the trolley conveyor 6 toward the infrared drying oven 4.

On the other hand, if the propeller shaft 10 in the coating booth 3 is not properly coated and an unpainted propeller shaft is transported, all or two of the sensors 14 to 16 detect whether the propeller shaft is When it is detected that the amount of reflected light from the switch 10 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, all or two corresponding switches 20, 23, and 26 are closed by the output signal, and the relay coil 21 is thereby closed. , 24, 27 or two corresponding relay coils are energized, thereby energizing the relay coil 29 and closing its make contact 29a. As a result, the relay coil 33 is energized, which closes the make contacts 33a to 33c.
An alarm is issued indicating that the propeller shaft 10 is not properly painted inside, and the operation of the trolley conveyor 6 is stopped.

Thus, it will be understood that the apparatus for determining whether an article is painted or unpainted according to the present invention can determine with high accuracy whether or not an article that is continuously conveyed by the conveyance device is painted.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is an illustration showing a continuous painting line for painting the propeller shaft of an automobile, in which the apparatus for determining whether an article is painted or unpainted according to the present invention is installed, and Figures 2 and 3 are
The figures are an illustrative plan view and an illustrative front view showing one embodiment of the painted/uncoated article discriminating device according to the present invention installed in the continuous coating line shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is an illustrative front view, respectively. FIG. 2 is a wiring diagram showing a control circuit of the painted/unpainted discriminating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1; 1...Continuous painting line, 2...Loading section, 3...Painting booth, 4...Infrared drying oven, 5
...Wholesale section, 6...Trolley conveyor,
7...Rail, 8...Carrier, 9...Chain, 11...Chuck, 12...Device for determining whether the article is painted or unpainted, 13...Fluorescent lamp, 14-16...Sensor, 17...Control circuit, 18...Limit switch, 19...Amplifier, 20...Switch, 21
... Relay coil, 22 ... Amplifier, 23 ... Switch, 24 ... Relay coil, 25 ... Amplifier, 26 ... Switch, 27 to 29 ... Relay coil, 30 ... Power switch, 31 ... Reset switch , 32...Make contact, 33...Relay coil, 34...Reset switch, 35...
Rotating light, 36... Relay coil, 21a, 21
b, 24a, 24b, 27a, 27b, 28a,
29a, 33a to 33c...Make contacts.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A device for determining whether or not each of a plurality of articles continuously conveyed by a conveying device is coated or not, comprising a light source that irradiates a surface of the article to be determined with light at a constant illuminance; a plurality of sensors for detecting the amount of light reflected by the surface of the article and determining whether the amount of light is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; a control circuit means responsive to the plurality of sensors; and an alarm means for issuing an alarm to the effect that the amount of light is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and the control circuit means responds only when the number of the sensors detecting that the amount of light is equal to or more than a predetermined value is more than half of the plurality of sensors. and a second part configured to actuate the alarm means and output a signal to the transport device to stop it in response to activation of the first part.