KR20210067204A - Dry Ice Cleaning Automation System and Methods - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dry ice cleaning automation system and a method thereof. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the dry ice cleaning automation system comprises: an information collection unit which includes a first vision, which collects information of mold types of an object to be cleaned, and a second vision, which collects information of thickness and distribution of pollutants on the object to be cleaned, and which collects information on the object to be cleaned; a determination unit which determines the pollution level of the object to be cleaned based on the information collected by the information collection unit, and determines a nozzle needed for cleaning and the particle size of dry ice based on the determined information; a control unit which sets up the nozzle and the particle size of dry ice based on the information determined by the determination unit, and performs the cleaning of the object to be cleaned; an inspection unit which inspects the object to be cleaned, which is completely cleaned; and a database (DB) which includes a first DB storing the data of mold-types of the object to be cleaned, and a second DB storing the data of types, thickness, and distribution of pollutants, and which stores prior data of the object to be cleaned. The present invention aims to provide a dry ice cleaning automation system and a method thereof, which are able to realize an automated system and reduce cost.

Description

Dry Ice Cleaning Automation System and Methods

The present invention relates to a dry ice cleaning automated system and method. More particularly, it relates to a dry ice washing automation system and method for automating a dry ice washing apparatus.

In general, in the production process of parts, various foreign substances are smeared on the surface of the parts to be produced, and a separate cleaning process is performed to remove them.

According to this cleaning process, a worker is performing a cleaning operation of removing foreign substances attached to the surface of the produced parts by using a chemical treatment such as shot blasting, steam cleaning, solvent, or a brush or the like through manual operation.

However, the above-described washing process is performed manually by an operator, and has a disadvantage in that a difference in quality of the cleaning operation occurs depending on the skill of the operator.

In particular, in the cleaning operation using a brush, the surface peeling phenomenon occurs depending on the material of the part to be cleaned.

Accordingly, in recent years, washing devices that can cleanly and effectively wash foreign substances attached to manufactured parts have been developed, and in particular, dry ice washing technology that can perform environmentally friendly washing while preventing environmental pollution is being developed. Research is being actively conducted.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0079019

It is an object of the present invention to provide a dry ice washing automation system and method for automating a dry ice washing apparatus.

In order to solve the above problem,

The dry ice cleaning automation system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first vision for collecting mold type information of the object to be cleaned, and a second vision for collecting information on the thickness and distribution of contaminants embedded in the object to be cleaned. and an information collection unit that collects information about the object to be washed;

a determination unit which determines the degree of contamination of the object to be washed based on the information collected by the information collection unit, and determines the particle size of the nozzle and dry ice required for cleaning based on the determined information;

a control unit configured to set the particle size of the nozzle and dry ice based on the information determined by the determination unit, and to wash the object to be washed;

an inspection unit for re-inspecting the object to be washed after washing; and

a database including a first DB in which data of a mold type of the object to be washed is stored, and a second DB in which data of a type, thickness, and distribution of contaminants are stored, in which prior data of the object to be washed is stored;

may include.

In addition, in the dry ice washing automation system according to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit includes one or more nozzles each having a polygonal or circular inner diameter, and a nozzle control unit that selects the nozzle determined by the determination unit and controls it ; and

a particle size adjusting unit configured to receive the particle size data of the dry ice determined by the determination unit, and to include a crushing unit for crushing the dry ice according to the received particle size, and for adjusting the particle size of the dry ice;

may include.

In addition, in the dry ice washing automation system according to an embodiment of the present invention, information may be collected by including the first non-transfer 2D camera, and information may be collected by including the second non-transfer 3D camera.

In addition, in the dry ice washing automation system according to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller may select a spray mode to spray dry ice on the object to be washed.

In addition, in an automated dry ice cleaning method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the method comprising: (a) collecting information on molds and contaminants of an object to be cleaned with a first vision and a second vision;

(b) determining the object to be washed and contaminants based on the collected information by the determination unit;

(c) determining a particle size of a nozzle and dry ice required for washing the object to be washed by a determination unit;

(d) setting the particle size of the nozzle and dry ice determined by the determination unit through the control unit, and washing the object to be washed;

(e) inspecting the washed object;

may include.

In addition, in the dry ice washing automation method according to an embodiment of the present invention, information may be collected by including the first non-transfer 2D camera and information may be collected by including the second non-transfer 3D camera.

In addition, in the dry ice washing automation method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the step (a) may include: matching the information collected in the first vision with information stored in a first DB; and

matching the information collected in the second vision with information stored in a second DB;

and, when the information stored in the first DB or the second DB does not match, only the information that does not match may be re-collected.

In addition, in the dry ice washing automated method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the step (c) may include grinding the dry ice through the grinding unit when the size of the dry ice determined by the determining unit does not exist; and

displaying through an alarm device when the dry ice is not in the receiving space;

may include.

In addition, in the dry ice washing automation method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the step (d) comprises: controlling the nozzle determined by the determination unit among one or more nozzles;

Including, the inner diameter of the nozzle may be formed in a polygonal or circular shape.

In addition, in the dry ice washing automation method according to an embodiment of the present invention, if contaminants are found in the object to be washed inspected in step (e), the washing may be performed again by performing step (b). .

These solutions will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention based on the accompanying drawings.

Prior to this, the terms or words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed in their ordinary and dictionary meanings, and the inventor may properly define the concept of the term in order to best describe his invention. It should be interpreted as meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that it is possible.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, cleaning is performed according to the type of mold and the degree of contamination of the object to be cleaned, and an automated system can be implemented, thereby reducing costs.

1 is a block diagram showing an automated dry ice washing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a flowchart illustrating an automated method for cleaning dry ice according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The specific aspects and specific technical features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the present specification, in adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same components are given the same reference numerals as possible even though they are indicated on different drawings. In addition, in describing an embodiment of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related well-known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, in describing the components of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only for distinguishing the elements from other elements, and the essence, order, or order of the elements are not limited by the terms. When a component is described as being “connected”, “coupled” or “connected” to another component, the component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but another component may be formed between each component. It should be understood that elements may be “connected,” “coupled,” or “connected.”

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the dry ice washing automation system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an information collection unit 10 that collects information on an object to be washed, and based on the information collected by the information collection unit, The determination unit 20 for determining the degree of contamination of the object to be washed, the control unit 30 for setting the particle size of the nozzle and dry ice based on the information determined by the determination unit, and cleaning the object to be cleaned; It includes an inspection unit 40 for re-inspecting the object to be washed, and a database 50 in which data of the type of mold and the type of contaminants of the object to be cleaned are stored in advance.

The information collection unit 10 collects information on the object to be washed, and may include a first vision 11 including a 2D camera and a second vision 12 including a 3D camera.

The first vision 11 may collect an image or image information of the object to be washed through the 2D camera, and collect mold information of the object to be cleaned based on the collected information.

The second vision 12 may collect the type, thickness, and distribution of contaminants embedded in the object to be washed as images or image information through the 3D camera.

The determination unit 20 may determine the degree of contamination of the object to be washed based on the information collected by the information collection unit 10 . Specifically, the determination unit 20 acquires the information on the type, thickness, and distribution of the contaminant collected in the second vision 12 , and matches the information of the contaminant stored in advance in the database 50 to the object to be washed It is possible to determine the contaminants attached to the surface, and it is possible to determine the presence or frequency of a point that is difficult to additionally clean (eg, a gap formed between the molds of the object to be cleaned).

Also, the determination unit 20 may determine the particle size of the nozzle and dry ice required for cleaning based on the determined information. Specifically, the particle size of the nozzle and the dry ice may be differently determined according to the degree of contamination of the object to be washed and the degree of cleaning difficulty.

The control unit 30 may set the particle size of the nozzle and the dry ice based on the information determined by the determination unit 20 , and may wash the object to be washed.

Also, the control unit 30 may select any one of one or more spray modes to spray dry ice on the object to be washed. Here, the injection mode may include concentrated injection, spread injection, and powder injection.

The control unit 30 includes one or more nozzles each having a polygonal or circular inner diameter, and a nozzle control unit 31 that selects and controls the nozzle determined by the determination unit 20 and the dry ice determined by the determination unit 20 . It may include a particle size adjusting unit 32 that receives the particle size data of , and adjusts the particle size of the dry ice by pulverizing the dry ice according to the received particle size.

Here, the dry ice may crush the dry ice through the crushing unit 33 .

The inspection unit 40 re-inspects the object to be washed through the control unit 30 to check whether there are unwashed points, and when the unwashed points are found, it can be re-washed.

The database 50 includes a first DB 51 in which mold information of the object to be cleaned is stored and a second DB 52 in which information on types, distribution, and thickness of contaminants is stored, and information for cleaning the object to be cleaned is provided. It can be stored as data.

The database 50 provides information to the determination unit 20 to match the information collected from the information collection unit 10 , and can determine the mold and contaminants of the object to be cleaned.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the method for operating the dry ice washing automation system according to an embodiment of the present invention uses a first vision 11 and a second vision 12 to mold the object to be cleaned. and collecting information on contaminants (S10, S11), and determining the object to be washed and the contaminant in the determination unit 20 based on the collected information (S12), and cleaning the object to be washed. Step (S13) of determining the required nozzle and dry ice particle sizes by the determination unit 20 (S13), setting the nozzle and dry ice particle sizes determined by the determination unit 20 through the control unit 30, and washing the object to be washed It includes a step (S14) and a step (S17) of inspecting the washed object to be washed.

First, mold information of the object to be cleaned is collected with the first vision 11 including a 2D camera, and the collected information can be transmitted to the determination unit 20 (S10), and the determination unit 20 can receive the first vision 11 ) and the information stored in the first DB 51 may be matched to determine the type of mold of the object to be cleaned (S10a).

At this time, when the information stored in the first DB 51 does not match, the information may be re-collected with the first vision 11 .

After determining the mold information of the object to be cleaned, information on the contaminants attached to the object to be cleaned can be collected with the second vision 12 including the 3D camera, and the collected information can be transmitted to the determination unit 20 (S11) , the determination unit 20 may match the information collected from the second vision 12 and the information stored in the second DB 52 to determine the type, thickness, and distribution of the pollutant ( S11a ).

At this time, if the information stored in the second DB 52 does not match, the information may be re-collected with the second vision 12 , and when the number of times set in advance by the control unit 30 is exceeded (S11b) , it is possible to re-collect information about the mold of the object to be cleaned with the first vision 11 .

Meanwhile, the determination unit 20 may determine the degree of contamination of the object to be washed based on the information on the type, thickness, and distribution of the contaminants determined by the first vision 11 and the second vision 12 ( S12 ). .

Specifically, the determination unit 20 may subdivide the degree of contamination of the object to be washed into steps 1 to 9, and may determine a required washing method step by step.

Also, the determination unit 20 may determine the type of nozzle and the particle size of dry ice required for cleaning the object to be washed based on the determined cleaning method ( S13 ).

The nozzle includes one or more nozzles each having a polygonal or circular inner diameter, and may be controlled by selecting a nozzle determined by the determination unit 20 .

After determining the particle size of the nozzle and dry ice in this way, the control unit 30 performs a setup for washing the object to be washed (S14), and thereafter, the object to be washed may be washed (S16).

For example, if the set-up for washing the object to be washed cannot be set up, the cause of the set-up failure is determined. Dry ice required for washing can be provided by pulverizing as much as possible. Here, when there is no dry ice to be crushed, this may be displayed through a separate alarm device installed in the washing device.

The washed object can be inspected through the inspection unit 40 (S17).

For example, if contaminants are found in the inspected object to be washed (S18), the process can be repeated from step S12 so that the object to be washed can be washed again. can be terminated.

Although the present invention has been described in detail through one embodiment, it is intended to describe the present invention in detail, and the dry ice washing automation system and method according to the present invention are not limited thereto. And, terms such as "include", "compose", or "have" described above mean that the corresponding component may be embedded unless otherwise stated, so excluding other components is It should be construed as being able to further include other components rather than other components, and all terms including technical or scientific terms are generally understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs, unless otherwise defined. has the same meaning as being

In addition, the above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various modifications and variations are possible by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Accordingly, one embodiment disclosed in the present invention is not intended to limit the technical spirit of the present invention, but to explain, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by this one embodiment. The protection scope of the present invention should be construed by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent range should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

10 - Information Collection Unit 11 - 1st Vision
12 - Second Vision 20 - Judgment Unit
30 - control unit 31 - nozzle control unit
32 - Particle size adjustment part 33 - Grinding part
40 - Inspector 50 - Database
51 - 1st DB 52 - 2nd DB

Claims (10)

An information collection unit that collects information on the object to be cleaned, including a first vision for collecting information on the type of mold of the object to be cleaned and a second vision for collecting information on the thickness and distribution of contaminants embedded in the object to be cleaned ;
a determination unit which determines the degree of contamination of the object to be washed based on the information collected by the information collection unit, and determines the particle size of the nozzle and dry ice required for cleaning based on the determined information;
a control unit configured to set a particle size of a nozzle and dry ice based on the information determined by the determination unit, and to wash the object to be washed;
an inspection unit for re-inspecting the object to be washed after washing; and
a database including a first DB in which data of the type of mold of the object to be washed is stored, and a second DB in which data of a type, thickness, and distribution of contaminants are stored, in which prior data of the object to be cleaned is stored;
Dry ice cleaning automation system comprising a.
The method according to claim 1,
a dry ice washing automation system for collecting information including the first vision-shifted 2D camera and collecting information including the second vision-shifting 3D camera;
The method according to claim 1,
The control unit includes one or more nozzles each having an inner diameter formed in a polygonal or circular shape, a nozzle control unit selecting the nozzle determined by the determination unit and controlling the nozzle; and
a particle size adjusting unit configured to receive the particle size data of the dry ice determined by the determination unit, and to include a grinding unit for crushing the dry ice according to the received particle size, and to adjust the dry ice particle size;
Dry ice washing automation system comprising a,
4. The method according to claim 3,
The control unit selects a spray mode and sprays dry ice on the object to be cleaned.
In the method for operating the dry ice washing automated system according to claim 1,
(a) collecting information on molds and contaminants of the object to be cleaned with a first vision and a second vision;
(b) determining the object to be washed and contaminants based on the collected information by the determination unit;
(c) determining a particle size of a nozzle and dry ice necessary for washing the object to be washed by a determination unit;
(d) setting the particle size of the nozzle and dry ice determined by the determination unit through the control unit, and washing the object to be washed;
(e) inspecting the washed object;
Dry ice washing automation method comprising:
6. The method of claim 5,
A dry ice cleaning automation method in which the first vision includes a 2D camera to collect information, and the second vision includes a 3D camera to collect information;
6. The method of claim 5,
The step (a) may include matching the information collected in the first vision with information stored in a first DB; and
matching the information collected in the second vision with information stored in a second DB;
and, if the information stored in the first DB or the second DB does not match, the dry ice washing automation method for re-collecting the information that does not match the information;
6. The method of claim 5,
The step (c) may include grinding the dry ice through the crushing unit when there is no size of the dry ice determined by the determination unit; and
displaying the dry ice through an alarm device when the dry ice is not in the accommodating space;
Dry ice washing automation method comprising:
6. The method of claim 5,
The step (d) may include controlling a nozzle determined by the determination unit among one or more nozzles;
A dry ice washing automation method comprising: the inner diameter of the nozzle is formed in a polygonal or circular shape;
6. The method of claim 5,
When contaminants are found in the to-be-washed object inspected in step (e), the dry ice washing automation method of re-cleaning by performing step (b);

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