JPS58143864A - Means for monitoring course of coating in apparatus for coating viscous fluid - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable to monitor the ejection course and the ejection line of a viscous fluid at any times during the ejection of a viscous fluid, in the coater to which a means for detecting the ejection course of the viscous fluid is attached, by providing said detection means to a nozzle or a member moving in synchronism with the nozzle. CONSTITUTION:A light projector 35 and a light acceptor 36 constituting said detection means are fixed to an attaching arm 34 moving in synchronization with a nozzle 27 in a manner such that each axial line cuts the other at the position where the beads C of a viscous fluid, e.g. a sealing agent, ejected from the nozzle 27 are formed. The nozzle 27 is moved in a direction along the coating line Y of a workpiece, e.g. the body of an automobile, according to a program by an industrial robot, and a sealing agent is concurrently ejected from the nozzle 27 to form the beads C. On the other hand, light is projected from the projector 35, and its passage 38 cuts the other at the position of the beads C. As a result, the light comes in collision with the beads C just after the coating. Accordingly, the light is diffusedly reflected, and only a part of the light is accepted by the light acceptor 36. This light is amplified with a predetermined ratio, and the coating is continued when the amplified value is within a preset range.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a coating path monitoring device for a device for applying a viscous fluid such as a sealant or adhesive.

The applicant has filed the specification of Japanese Patent Application No. 55-176670 (Showa 5
(filed on December 15, 2013), proposed an automatic viscous fluid coating device that is equipped with means for detecting a viscous fluid discharge path. This is shown in Figure 1.2. In Figure 1, 1
4 is an airless type autogun attached to the wrist 3 of the industrial robot 2; 4 is a flexible vibrator that supplies viscous fluid such as sealant to the autogun 1 from a pressure pump (not shown); Elastically locks onto movable parts such as Reference numerals 6a, 6b, and 6c are mechanical parts of a means for detecting a viscous fluid discharge path, which will be described later, provided on the base 17 of the jig cart 14, 8 is a unit housing a control circuit related to the means, and 10 is the control panel of the 1E industrial robot 2 to which the unit 8 is connected.

Then, the spot weld joint is, for example, a workpiece to be sealed, and the car body 12 at °C is positioned on the jig cart I4+, and 16.18 respectively connects the cart 14 and the industrial robot 2. This is a conveyance device that moves it to a predetermined position. Reference numeral 9 denotes electrical wiring extending from the control panel 10 to the trunk 11, but piping for the hydraulic system and the pneumatic system is not shown. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the mechanism section of the detection means. In the figure, reference numeral 22 denotes a pair of light projectors, and the optical paths 23 of the light projected from these projectors 22 are orthogonal to each other, and a base area 24 is formed at the intersection. A pair of light receivers 25 are installed opposite the light emitter 22, and these light receivers 25 are connected to the light emitter 22.
The device includes a switching element that receives light projected from the light source and turns off when the amount of light received falls below a set value.

The above-mentioned light projector 22 and light receiver 25 collectively constitute a detection unit 26, and such detection units 26 are arranged in two stages above and below on a base (not shown) to constitute a mechanical section of the detection means. Such a detection means operates as follows.

First, the industrial robot 2 is operated to test spray, for example, a sealant from the nozzle 27 of the auto gun 1. At this time, the sealant passes through the reference areas 24.24 of each detection unit 26.26, and as a result, the light from the light emitter 22 of each detection unit 26 is blocked and all the light receivers 25 are turned off ( (This case is determined to be OK) This confirms that the sealant discharged from the nozzle 27 of the autogun l is passing through the preset discharge path, and the operation start signal is sent from the control circuit of the detection means to the industrial Since the information is input to the control panel of the robot, the auto gun 1 starts moving according to the program input in advance, and the sealant is applied to a predetermined position on the vehicle body 12. In the middle of this coating process, the auto gun 1 is moved to a position pointing toward the mechanism part 6b of the detection means, and at this position, a trial blow is performed again, and when an OK determination is made, the auto gun 1 restarts the coating process again.

However, in the double detection mode, the sealant was normally discharged from the nozzle in the application process performed between the time of trial spraying at position 6a and the time of trial spraying at position 6b. However, there was a problem in that it was not possible to make a determination at each successive point in time during the coating process after restarting.

This invention was made in view of this point,
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a coating path monitoring device that can constantly monitor the viscous fluid discharge path and the discharge line to the object to be coated while the viscous fluid is being discharged. In a viscous fluid application device that automatically operates to direct the nozzle of an auto gun according to a predetermined pattern and move it relative to the object to be coated to discharge viscous fluid, the nozzle or a member that moves together with the nozzle has at least one A light emitter and a receiver are provided by fixing a light emitter and a light receiver, and the optical axes of the light emitter and light receiver are directed to the path that the viscous fluid discharged from the nozzle should follow, and the amount of light received by the light receiver is detected. The present invention provides a coating route monitoring device for a viscous fluid coating device, which includes an abnormality signal transmitting means for transmitting an abnormality signal when the amount of received light is out of a set range.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention, in which the same parts as those of the conventional one are given the same reference numerals and explanations are omitted, and only the different parts will be explained. In this embodiment, the tip of the nozzle 27 is set in advance by a program so that it always moves an equal distance lll5 from a predetermined coating position W on the vehicle body 12 (for example, the seam Y of spot welding W). Nozzle 2 on the tip side from the connection part of flexible pipe 4
A valve 31 is provided at 7, and this valve 31 is, for example, a needle valve that is opened and closed by a solenoid 31a.

A first attachment arm 32 extending to the left and a second attachment arm 33 extending to the right are attached to the back surface of the outer periphery of the tip of the nozzle 27 in the figure. These first, twenty-first and second arms 32,33 collectively constitute a mounting arm 34 which moves co-moveably with the nozzle. Reference numeral 35 denotes a light emitter, which emits a parallel light beam having, for example, a circular cross section in the axial direction of the light emitter, and 36 represents a light receiver equipped with a photoelectric element that transmits an electric quantity signal in accordance with the light receiver. Therefore, the first mounting arm 32 and the second mounting arm 33 respectively connect the light emitter 35 and the light receiver 36 to a path along which the respective axes of the viscous fluid discharged from the nozzle 27 should follow, in other words, Adjust and fix the position so that the short application locus of the sealant intersects at the position of bead C. Further, the second mounting arm 33 is equipped with a comparison amplifier 46 that sends an abnormal signal when the electric quantity signal input from the light receiver 36 is out of a predetermined range. The projector 35 is connected to the external wiring 48, and the solenoid 3]a and the output terminal of the comparison amplifier are connected to each other by an electric wiring 49.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention will be explained.

First, an operation start signal is sent from the control panel 10 to the industrial robot 2 (FIG. 11), and the industrial robot 2 causes the autogun 1 to direct the nozzle 27 to the vehicle body 12 according to a program that has been input into the control panel 10 in advance. In response to the operation start signal, a signal is also sent from the control panel 10 to the solenoid 31a, so that the solenoid 31a is activated and the needle of the valve 31 is moved. The valve opens. That is,
A sealant is discharged from the nozzle 27 of the auto gun 1 and applied to the programmed short application line (for example, the seam Y of spot welding W) of the vehicle body 12 to form a bead C. On the other hand, light is projected from a light projector 35, and the optical path 38 of this light intersects at the position of the bead C formed at a predetermined coating position, as shown in FIG. As a result, the projector 3
As shown in FIG. 4, the light emitted from the vehicle body 12
This corresponds to bead C, which is the sealant immediately after being applied. Therefore, the light is diffusely reflected, and only a part of it is received by the light receiver 36. At this time, if the sealant has absorbency, some of the light will be absorbed by the sealant,
The amount of light received by the light receiver 36 further decreases. When a low-level amount of light is input to the light receiver 36 in this way, the light receiver 36 converts the received light amount into a low-level electric quantity signal and sends it to the comparison amplifier 46. In 46, first, after amplifying the low level signal at a short rate,
It is determined that this value is within a preset range, and in this case, the comparator amplifier 46 does not issue a signal, so the auto gun 1 continues the application. Further, during the application of the sealant, the position of the bead C may deviate from the pre-programmed application line (for example, the seam Y of spot welding W) due to reasons such as variations in the discharge pressure of the sealant or partial clogging of the nozzle 27. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the light emitted from the projector 35 is reflected at the spot weld joint on the outer surface of the vehicle body 12 with less diffuse reflection than in the above case. A considerable amount of light is received by the light receiver 36. That is, a relatively high level of received light is input to the light receiver 36, and the light receiver 36 converts the received light amount into a relatively high level of electricity and transmits it to the comparison amplifier 46 via the external wiring 48. However, the comparison amplifier 46 first amplifies the high-level electricity amount at the same short rate as above, and then compares and determines whether this value is larger than a preset range. The signal is sent to the solenoid 3 via the electrical wiring 49.
1a, and the solenoid 31a is energized in a conventional manner by manually inputting the signal, so that the needle valve of the valve 31 closes. As a result, the discharge of the sealant from the nozzle 27 is stopped. In this way, it is confirmed whether the bead C of the sealant formed by being discharged from the nozzle 27 of the auto gun I passes through the preset application line. Note that this embodiment can also be applied to detection when a sealant is applied in dots.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the invention. The first
Description of components having the same configuration as the embodiment will be omitted. 4
Reference numeral I denotes a light emitting/receiving section having a light emitting surface 41a and a light receiving surface 41b, and the optical path 38 emitted from the light emitting/receiving section intersects at right angles to the normal discharge path of the sealant from the nozzle 27. The light emitting/receiving section 41 is adjusted to be parallel to the motion trajectory Z of the nozzle 27 and attached to the first attachment arm 32, and the reflecting mirror 42 is attached to the attachment arm 33 in opposition thereto. Further, the light emitting surface 41a is connected to the light source of the light emitting/receiving device 50 attached to the bracket 54 of the hand [3] of the industrial robot body 2 via the fiber 0 - the conduit 5I containing the optics, and also receiving the light. Surface 41b
communicates with the photoelectric element of the projector body 50 via a conduit 52 containing fiber optics. 46a is an amplifier connected to the floodlight body 50 through a wiring 55 and fixed to the trunk 11 of the industrial robot 2; 46b;
is a comparator connected to the extender 46a by a wire 56 and fixed to the trunk II, and 57 is an electric wire disposed between the comparator 46b and the control panel 10 (FIG. 1).

Next, the effect will be explained.

When the sealant is normally discharged from the nozzle 27, the optical path 38 is the sealant discharge path l)
The light emitter/receiver body 50 includes the light emitting/receiving part 41 and the conduit 52.
A low-level amount of light received is manually inputted through the fiber optics of the optical fiber optics, and a corresponding low-level electric amount signal is transmitted from the photoelectric Sachiko to the amplifier 46b via the wiring 55.

1) The signal amplified by the amplifier 46E) is input to the comparator 461 via the wiring 56, and the comparator 46b determines that the human power value is within a preset range. Since the automatic gun 1 does not emit an output signal, the auto gun 1 continues coating. Also, if the ejection path 1] is misaligned, the optical path 38
is reflected by the reflector 42, and almost the entire amount of light is reflected by the light emitter/receiver 4.
1 is input.

Therefore, as a result of a high-level electric quantity signal being transmitted from the photoelectric element, the comparator 46b makes a comparison judgment and determines that the input value is larger than a preset range, and sends an abnormal signal through the electric wiring 57. and sends a message to the control panel 10. In this way, it is possible to monitor whether the sealant is being normally discharged from the nozzle 27, and in the control panel 10, the abnormality display circuit and the stop F interrupt circuit are activated by the input of the abnormality signal, and the brograno circuit is activated. As a result, an abnormality is displayed, and the programmed operation of the industrial robot 2 is stopped, and the solenoid 31a is energized to close the valve 31.
The valve is closed and the discharge of sealant from the nozzle 27 is stopped.

2 As explained above, in the present invention, the viscous fluid coating device automatically operates to direct the nozzle of the auto gun according to a predetermined pattern and move it relative to the object to be coated to discharge the viscous fluid. In the device, a light emitter and receiver is provided by fixing at least a light emitting part and a light receiving part to a nozzle or a member that moves together with the nozzle, and the optical axis of the light emitting part and the light receiving part is made to follow the viscous fluid discharged from the nozzle. It is equipped with an abnormality signal transmitting means that detects the amount of light received by the light receiving section and issues an abnormal signal when the amount of received light is out of a set range. This has the effect that it is possible to constantly monitor whether or not the discharge path from the nozzle is normal during coating.

In addition to the above-mentioned common advantages, the second embodiment uses fiber optics and only the light emitting and receiving parts are placed in the nozzle head, so it has the practical effect of reducing the weight of the nozzle head. It is something to do.

3

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a coating device equipped with a conventional viscous fluid discharge path detection means, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the mechanism of the conventional viscous fluid discharge path detection means, and FIG. 3 is an inventive invention. FIG. 4.5 is an explanatory view of the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a front view of the main part of the second embodiment of the present invention. 12... Work (car body), W... Spot welding, Y... Seam, 27... Nozzle, 34... Mounting arm , 35... Emitter, 36... Receiver, 46... Comparator 1), 41... Emitter/receiver section, 51...・Conduit containing fiber optics, 46a...Amplifier, 46b...
・Comparator. Patent applicant: 11 San Jidosha Co., Ltd. Representative Patent Attorney Ugagun Part 4 Figure 3 Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a viscous fluid applicator that automatically operates to discharge viscous fluid by directing the nozzle of an auto gun according to a predetermined pattern and moving it relative to the object to be coated, a small In this method, a light emitter and a receiver are provided by fixing a light emitter and a light receiver, and the optical axes of the light emitter and light receiver are directed to the path that the viscous fluid discharged from the nozzle should follow, and the amount of light received by the light receiver is detected. 1. A coating path monitoring device for a viscous fluid coating device, comprising an abnormality signal transmitting means for transmitting an abnormality signal when the amount of received light is out of a set range.