US3286688A - Paint spraying apparatus - Google Patents

Description

W. G. BLENMAN PAINT SPRAYING APPARATUS Nqv. 22, 1966 Filed July 22, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VE NTOR. ZZfiZ/k'am G Elm/27017 f ATTORNEY Nov. 22, 1966 G. BLENMAN 3,286,688

PAINT SPRAYING APPARATUS ATTORNEY 1965 w. G. BLENMAN 6,68

PAINT SPRAYING APPARATUS Filed July 22, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I INVENTOR. Z fiZ/IIIM 6. 31617271021 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,286,688 PAINT SPRAYING APPARATUS William G. Blenman, Grosse Pointe, Mich, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed July 22, 1963, Ser. No. 296,572 6 Claims. ((11. 118-323) The present invention relates to spraying apparatus particulary adapted for painting automotive vehicle bodies and similar large-surface objects while passing through the spray booth of an assembly line.

The invention contemplates an improved paint spraying apparatus or machine having an extensible spray-gunsu-pporting linkage of relatively rigid compact inexpensive design, capable "of remote and conveyor synchronized automatic control, and mountable in laterally spaced overhead relation to a vehicle body conveyor line. In an illustrative embodiment, a compound parallelogram linkage is pivotally mounted on an overhead frame and is motor driven by suitable motion translating means to provide constant-velocity straight-line reciprocating movement of a spray-gun-supporting boom or linkage, The spray gun or guns and their supporting linkage thus traverse the several offset surfaces of a conveyor transported vehicle body or similar workpiece between a laterally retracted position and an extreme extended position. A power operator associated with the gun supporting linkage is selectively energizable to raise and lower the spray guns relative to the frame supported compound linkage and into proximate spraying relation normal to several offset vehicle body surfaces.

While the ilustrative embodiment of the invention is specifically designed for vehicle body painting, the invention may be adapted for use in painting relatively large surfaces on other objects and particularly while such objects are moving along an assembly line.

The foregoing and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the illustrative embodiment, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation-a l view illustrating the paint spray apparatus of the invention in its intended operational environment and shows several extreme operational positions of the spray guns and their supporting linkages in full and phantom broken lines with reference to an overhead conveyor and a conveyor supported vehicle body which are also shown in phantom broken lines;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view taken substantially in the direction of the arrows indicated at 2-2 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the spray apparatus of FIGURES 1 and 2 with portions broken away to show certain structural details.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, a paint spray apparatus or machine illustrative of the invention is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10. This machine has an angled frame 11 of lightweight truss construction and is suspended by resilient mounts 12 from overhead I-beams 13 in laterally spaced relation to an overhead conveyor. For illustrative purposes, a conveyor transported vehicle body is shown in phantom broken lines at 14 in FIGURES 1 and 2. Each body is supported at opposite ends by a cradle-type hanger 15 suspended from a chain driven carrier 16 which is roller mounted on an overhead I-beam rail 17 extending longitudinally of the paint booth. A suitable pneumatic and electrical control console 18 is secured to the vertical portion 19 of the frame 11. This console is operably connected to suitable manual and automatic body style selecting controls 20 and 22 and adapted to synchronize operation of Patented Nov. 22, 1966 the paint spraying apparatus of the invention in accordance with vehicle (body movement relative thereto.

In the illustrative embodiment, a laterally extending quadrilateral linkage boom 24 is selectively operable by associated power means 26 to raise and lower two laterally offset spray guns 28 into alternate spraying positions substantially normal to and proximately spaced from the front and rear body panels 30 and 32 or the intermediate vertically offset roof panel 34 for various vehicle body types. The gun supporting linkage or boom 24 is in turn supported for transverse reciprocating movement relative to the frame by a compound motion transmitting parallelogram linkage 36 of relatively compact lightweight construction. This compound linkage is operably connected to a drive mechanism 38 and driven to provide substantially constant-velocity straight-line reciprocating move ment of the spray guns transversely of the several vehicle body surfaces. The compound linkage 36 includes a frame supported parallelogram linkage and a second parallelogram linkage supported by a horizontal link common to the frame mounted link-age. The conveyor adjacent end of a second horizontal link pivotally supports the gun carrying linkage 24. A motion controlling guide means is associated with and counterswin-gs the second parallelogram linkage opposite to the swinging motion of the frame supported parallelogram linkage. Such counterswinging of these two linkages imparts substantially straight-line reciprocating move-ment to the second horizontal link and to the spray gun supporting linkage mounted thereon.

The frame mounted linkage includes two parallel links 40 and 42 pivotally mounted at 44 and 46, respectively, on a horizontal bottom beam 48 of the vertical frame portion. The upper ends of these two links are pivotally connected at 50 and 52 to opposite ends of a horizontal link 54 and to the upper ends of the two depending parallel links 56 and 58. In the extreme positions of the link 54 shown in full and phantom broken lines in FIGURE 1, the links 40 and 42 are inclined laterally upwardly at equal angles of approximately 45 to vertical planes including their lower pivotal axes 44 and 46. The links 40, 42 and 54 thus cooperate with the lower beam of the frame 11 to define. an upstanding parallelogram linkage swingable through a 90 are relative to the lower pivotal connections 44 and 46.

The lower ends of the links 56 and 58 are pivotally connected at 60 and 6 2 to opposite ends of a second horizontal link 64 equal in effective length to the first horiz-ontal link 54. A short bell crank arm 66 depends from the end of the link 64 adjacent the pivotal connection 62. This bell crank arm serves as a link pivotally mounting the laterally adjacent end of the spray gun supporting linkage 24. The links 56 and 58 are preferably equal in effective length to the links 40 and 42 and cooperate With the horizontal links 54 and 64 to define a depending parallelogram linkage. The upper end of a motion translating control arm extension 68 of the link 56 is pivotally connected at 70 to a clevis formed in a bearing block 72. This bearing block is sliclable between two frame supported crosshead bearing members 74. By thus restraining movement of the upper pivotal connection 70 of the control arm to a vertical reciprocating path any driving motion imparted to the horizontal link 54 rotates the control arm link 56, 68 about its restrained upper pivotal connection 70. Such control arm rotation swings the depending parallelogram linkage oppositely of the frame supported linkage. The resultant straight l-ine reciprocating movement imparted to the horizontal link 64 doubles the horizontal translation of the link 54 and thus carries the spray-gun-supporting boom linkage 24 transversely of the vehicle body between its extreme retracted and extended positions.

The spray-gun-supporting quadrilateral linkage includes a primary bell crank lever 76 pivotally mounted at 78 with respect to the depending arm 66 of link 64. This lever has a relatively long boom arm 79 extending laterally toward the conveyor line and swingaeble in a vertical plane about its pivotal mounting. A relatively short bell crank arm 80 extends upwardly from the pivotal mounting of the lever 76 and is operably connected at 82 to a piston rod 84 projecting from a doubleacting fluid pressure motor 86. The piston of this motor is reciprocably mounted in a cylinder 88. To accommodate swinging movement of rod-to-lever connection 82, the cylinder is pivotally mounted at 98 on the horizontal link 64 by a bracket 92. Opposite ends of cylinder 88 are alternately connectable by proper operation of the various controls to a source of actuating fluid pressure. Such selective supply of fluid pressure to the motor cylinder alternately actuates the piston in opposite directions thereby swinging the lever 76 to raise or lower the spray-gun-supporting swinging end of the boom arm 79 relative to the adjacent vehicle body.

A relatively short, vertically maintained link 96 is pivotally connected at 94 to the swinging end of the boom arm. The link 96 adjustably mounts an inverted T- shaped bracket 98. The cross bar of this T-shaped member is preferably inclined obliquely of the conveyor line and adjustably mounts the spray guns 28 in laterally offset, spray-overlapping relation to s-ubadjacent surfaces of the conveyor transported vehicle bodies. A control link 100 is pivotally connected at 102 and 104 to the vertical link 96 and to the depending arm of the horizontal link 64 and extends the-rebetween in slightly spaced, substantially parallel relation above the boom arm of lever 76. This control link maintains the spray-gun-supporting link 96 in normal vertical relation to the vehicle body surfaces being sprayed irrespective of the spray gun elevation effected by the selective euergiz'ation of the fluid pressure motor Sfi and the resultant swinging of the lever '76.

The drive mechanism 38 imparts substantially constant velocity horizontal movement to the link 54 and thus to the boom supported spray guns as they traverse the several offset vehicle body surfaces. This drive mechanism includes a vertical plate 106 carried by the link 54. A crosshead slot 188 in this plate slidably mounts a bearing block 111} having a journaled driving connection at 112 with a link drive chain 114. The chain 114 drivingly interconnects a motor driven sprocket 116 and an idler sprocket 118. These sprockets are respectively journaled at 120 and 122 in a drive housing 124 and a bracket 126 suspended from the upper frame portion. The housing 124 miunts a variable speed electric motor 128 selectively connectable to drive the sprocket 116 by a drive establishing coupling and speed reducing unit 130' also mounted Within the housing 124. The speed of the motor 128 is synchronized with conveyor speed and selective operation of the boom controlling power means 26 and of the drive establishing coupling 130 coordinated by a motor driven timing mechanism 132 in accordance with a control indicated body style. As shown in FIGURE 2, the timing mechanism 132 is continuously driven by the motor 128 during operation of the spraying apparatus by a second chain drive 134 and thus synchronized with conveyor vehicle body movement.

The .paint spraying machine of the invention may be automatically controlled by operation of a suitable body style and color programming remote control console, not shown. In the illustrative embodiment, however, the machine is conditioned for spraying operation by the manual control 20. This control may also serve to energize the conveyor. As each conveyor transported vehicle body reaches the spraying station, a control signal generated by the spaced proximity sensing control units 136 and 138 of the automatic control 22 and/or by the motor driven timing mechanism is supplied to the control console 18. This signal maintains or vertically positions the retracted spray guns for spraying of the front panel, conditions the spray guns to commence the spraying operation and energizes the drive coupling to effect motor driven reciprocation of the spray-gun-supporting boom 24. A control signal subsequently supplied by either the timer or proximity controls interrupts the spraying operation and supplied fluid pressure actuating the double-acting motor 86 so as to swing the boom upwardly into proper spray gun position for the approaching roof panel. A control signal then supplied by either the proximity units or by the timer conditions the spray guns to commence their roof spraying operation with continuing or resumed reciprocation of the spray-gun-supporting boom relative to the conveyor transported body. As the spray guns reach the rear edge of the roof panel, the timing mechanism and proximity controls cooperate in accordance with the body style selectively impressed on the timing control to interrupt the spraying operation and effect a reversal in fluid pressure supply conditions to the motor 86. The boom supported spray guns are thus lowered into proper spraying elevation for subsequent control regulated spraying of the vehicle bndy rear deck. As each vehicle body reaches the end of the rear deck spraying station, the several controls cooperate to interrupt the spraying operation and to deenergize the drive coupling 130 and thus stop the reciprocating boom as it reaches its fully retracted position thereby permitting passage of the carriers supporting the spaced ends of adjacent bodies.

As best seen in FIGURE 1, the geometry of the spraygun-supporting linkage is preferably such as to permit overtravel of the body surfaces 32 and 34 at the end of each stroke to allow for the nonlinear motion encountered during drive reversal of the upper horizontal link by movement of the swiveled chain driven connection 112 relative to the sprockets 116 and 118. Such non-linear motion serves to decelerate the boom during such overtravel of the boom linkage. The spray guns 28 may be shut off during these periods of reversal by suitable shutoff controls associated with either the timer 132 or with the boom supporting parallel linkages.

It should be noted that the spray guns do not, per se, constitute a part of the invention and have therefore not been described in detail. In addition, and solely for the purpose of simplifying the drawings, the air and paint supply lines norm-ally connected to such spray guns have generally been eliminated as have been the air and paint reservoirs and the attending pumping devices, all of which would be necessary to actually spray paint.

From the foregoing description of a single illustrative embodiment, it will be seen that the invention provides a relatively simple machine capable of supplying the several stated objects and advantages of the invention. It will be further apparent that various modifications and changes might be made in and fro-m the disclosed embodiment, including changes of the several lengths and in the restrained movement of the compound linkage to modify movement of the spray guns relative to the workpiece object, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A spraying machine, comprising support means, a first parallelogram linkage including a pair of first parallel links pivotally interconnected by a first intermediate link and each pivoted to the support means, a second parallelogram linkage including a pair of second parallel links pivotally interconnected by the first intermediate link and pivotally interconnected by a second intermediate link, the second parallel links being equal in length to the first parallel links, spray means, means mounting the spray means on the second parallelogram linkage, means for swinging the first parallelogram linkage, cOntrol means interconnecting one of the second parallel links and the support means to impart a coordinated opposite,

swinging movement to the second parallelogram linkage upon swinging movement of the first parallelogram linkage to thereby efiect movement of the spray means in a rectilinear path.

2. The machine recited in claim 1, wherein the mounting means includes a quadrilateral linkage pivotally interconnecting the spray means and the second parallelogram linkage, and operating means operably connected to the quadrilateral linkage for effecting swinging movement of the spray means relative to its rectilinear path of movement.

3. The machine recited in claim 2, wherein the quadrilateral linkage includes a mounting link mounting the spray means, and a pair of third parallel links of equal length pivotally interconnecting the mounting link and the second parallelogram linkage.

4. The machine recited in claim 3, wherein each of the third parallel links is pivoted to the second intermediate link, one of the third parallel links includes a power arm extending therefrom, and the operating means is mounted on the second intermediate link, the operating means being operably connected to the power arm to pivot the said one third parallel link about its pivot to the second intermediate link and thereby effect swinging movement of the spray gun relative to its rectilinear path of movement.

5. The machine recited in claim 1, wherein the control means includes a guide member mounted on the support means, a control arm extending from one of the second parallel links, and a slide member pivoted to the control arm and received by the guide member for sliding movement normal to the rectilinear path of moveent of the spray means during swinging movement of the first and second parallelogram linkages.

6. A machine for spraying surfaces on a plurality of conveyor transported objects, comprising a frame member mountable laterally and in suspended spaced relation above the surfaces of said objects, a first parallelogram linkage comprising first and second links of equal length each pivotally connected at one end thereof on said frame member for swinging movement transversely of the surfaces on said objects and a third link pivotally interconnecting said first and second links in equispaced parallel relation to the frame pivoted ends thereof, motor means operably connected to one of said first three links and adapted to impart oscillatory swinging movement to said first parallelogram linkage, a second parallelogram linkage pivotally supported by said third link member and including fourth and fifth links equal in length to said first and second links and pivotally connected therewith to opposite ends of said third link, a sixth link pivotally interconnecting said fourth and fifth links in equispaced parallel relation to said third link member, selectively remotely operable means for spraying the surfaces on said objects supported by said sixth link, and a third linkage supporting said spraying means on said sixth link for movement normal to the surfaces to be sprayed on said objects, said third linkage including a spray gun supporting link, a pair of links pivotally connected to and supporting said spray gun supporting link in transversely spaced relation to said sixth link, and motor means selectively energizable and operably connected to swing said third linkage to adjust said spray gun supporting link normally of the surfaces on said objects, one of said fourth and fifth links having a control arm extending beyond its pivotal conecting to the third link, guide means for pivotally mounting the distal end of said control arm for restrained movement translating the oscillatory swinging movement imparted to said third link into opposite oscillatory movement of said paired first and second links and of said fourth and fifth links, thereby multiplying the swinging movement imparted to said third link and effecting substantially rectilinear movement of the spraying means supported by said sixth link.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,840,037 6/1958 Verba 118321 X 2,955,568 10/1960 Blenman et al. l18323 FOREIGN PATENTS 210,712 8/1960 Austria.

DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,286,688 November 22, 1966 William G. Blenman It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

read mounts Column 3, line 52, for "miunts" column 4, line 8, for "supplied" read supplies line 23, for "bndy" read body column 6, line 24, for "conecting" read connection Signed and sealed this 12th day of September 1967.

( AL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER Attesting Officer EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner of Patents

Claims (1)

1. A SPRAYING MACHINE, COMPRISING SUPPORT MEANS, A FIRST PARALLELOGRAM LINKAGE INCLUDING A PAIR OF FIRST PARALLEL LINKS PIVOTALLY INTERCONNECTED BY A FIRST INTERMEDIATE LINK AND EACH PIVOTED TO THE SUPPORT MEANS, A SECOND PARALLELOGRAM LINKAGE INCLUDING A PAIR OF SECOND PARALLEL LINKS PIVOTALLY INTERCONNECTED BY THE FIRST INTERMEDIATE LINKS AND PIVOTALLY INTERCONNECTED BY A SECOND INTERMEDIATE LINK THE SECOND PARALLEL LINKS BEING EQUAL IN LENGTH TO THE FIRST PARALLEL LINKS, SPRAY MEANS, MEANS MOUNTING THE SPRAY MEANS ON THE SECOND PRALLELOGRAM LINKAGE, MEANS FOR SWINGING THE FIRST PARALLELOGRAM LINKAGE, CONTROL MEANS INTERCONNECTING ONE OF THE SECOND PARALLEL LINKS AND THE SUPPORT MEANS TO IMPART A COORDINATED OPPOSITE SWINGING MOVEMENT TO THE SECOND PARALLELOGRAM LINKAGE UPON SWINGING MOVEMENT OF THE FIRST PARALLELOGRAM LINKAGAE TO THEREBY EFFECT MOVEMENT OF THE SPRAY MEANS IN A RECTILINEAR PATH.

Images