JPH02111B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a color changing device for a painting robot.

Conventionally, in automatic multi-color painting by a robot, as shown in Fig. 1, a spray gun 2 is installed at the tip of a robot arm 1, and a cleaning liquid is supplied to a common pipe 3 fixedly installed on the robot arm 1, which is connected to a cleaning liquid supply pipe. Valve 4 and air valve 5 connected to the air supply pipe
It has a structure in which paint valves 6 and 7 are provided to connect to paint supply pipes of different colors, and the common pipe 3 and the spray gun 2 are connected by a hose 8, and the opening of one paint valve 6 is used for painting. After painting is completed by closing the paint valve 6, the air valve 5 is opened to discharge the remaining paint into the hose 8 and the spray gun 2.The air valve 5 is closed and the cleaning liquid valve 4 is opened, and the cleaning liquid is applied to the hose 8. , clean the spray gun 2. After this air blowing and cleaning with cleaning liquid were alternately performed several times, the other paint valve 7 was opened and painting was performed.

By the way, if the large number of valves 4 to 7 are placed near the spray gun 2 at the tip of the robot arm 1, their weight will be added to the robot arm 1, which will have an adverse effect on the movement of the robot arm 1. placed at the base. Therefore, a hose 8 connects the valves 4 to 7 and the spray gun 2.
The hose 8 has a long length, and the amount of paint remaining in the hose 8 increases, resulting in loss of paint and increased usage of cleaning fluid (for example, thinner) for cleaning, resulting in wasted costs.

Furthermore, the piping structure for controlling the air pressure for opening and closing the valves 4 to 7 complicates the mechanism and consumes a lot of energy.

An object of the present invention is to provide a color changing device that eliminates the loss of paint and cleaning fluid during the conventional color changing process and has a simplified configuration.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

The male check valve 9 is attached to the tip of the robot arm 1 with a bracket 21, and the spray gun 2 is also attached close to the male check valve 9 via the bracket 20. and are communicated through a short hose 10.

Further, a paint and cleaning liquid return pipe 12 facing the booth wall 13 is connected to the tank 11 for different paints and cleaning liquids, and the return pipe 12 is connected to the booth wall 13.
A male check valve 14 is attached to the return pipe 12 on the third side and fixed on a bracket 22 fixed to the booth wall 13.

A feed pipe 17 is piped from the tank 11 into the booth via a feed pump 18. This feeding pipe 17 can be expanded and contracted by a reel cord 19 in the middle. At the tip of the feeding pipe 17, female check valves 16a and 16b, which can be detachably connected to the male check valves 9 and 14, are provided at both ends.
A straight joint valve 15 is attached, and the male check valve 9 or 14 is connected to the female check valve 16.
Both check valves are designed to open when connected to a or 16b.

The illustration shows a T-shaped quick joint valve 15.
Although the male check valve 14 on the booth wall 13 is shown as a single one, for example, if the paint colors are the first color and the second color, the T-shaped quick joint valve 1 will be used, respectively.
5 and a male check valve 14, and the cleaning liquid is also provided in a combination of a T-shaped quick joint valve 15 and a male check valve 14.
The color, the second color paint, and the cleaning liquid will be explained in common for the illustrated T-shaped quick joint valve 15 and male check valve 14.

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 3, T
When the female check valve 16 of the square-shaped quick joint valve 15 is connected to the male check valve 14 of the return pipe 12, the paint and cleaning liquid fed through the feed pipe 17 are returned to the tank 11. Circulating flow is performed.

In this state, the spray gun 2 of the robot arm 1 is in a state where paint work is suspended, and this state is now
When the color painting is completed, the robot arm 1 will be damaged by the previous painting work before the next second color painting work.
The first color paint remaining on the male side check valve 9, hose 10, and spray gun 2 is cleaned.

For this reason, although not shown, the booth wall 1
The male check valve 9 on the robot arm 1 side is connected to the female check valve at the end of the air supply pipe provided at
to discharge the remaining paint.

Next, the T-shaped quick joint valve 15 is connected by connecting the male check valve 9 on the robot arm 1 side to the female check valve 16a of the T-shaped quick joint valve 15 through which cleaning fluid is circulating. As shown in FIG. 2B, the connection is disconnected from the male check valve 14 on the side of the booth wall 13, and the cleaning liquid, which is force-fed through the feed pipe 17, is discharged from the spray gun 2. The cleaning work is completed by alternately repeating this air discharge and cleaning liquid discharge several times, and the female check valve 16b of the cleaning liquid T-shaped quick joint valve 15 is replaced with the male check valve on the booth wall 13 side. 14, and the male check valve 9 on the robot arm 1 side is disconnected from the female check valve 16a of the T-shaped quick joint valve 15 to allow cleaning to flow into the tank 11. return.

Next, the male check valve 9 on the robot arm 1 side is connected to the female check valve 16a of the T-shaped quick joint valve 15 that is circulating the second color paint.
The T-shaped quick joint valve 15 is removed from the male check valve 14 on the side of the booth wall 13, and painting work is performed with the second color paint. After completing the painting work of this second color, attach the T-shaped quick joint valve 15 to the male check valve 1 on the side of the booth wall 13.
4, and the male check valve 9 on the robot arm 1 side is removed from the female check valve 16a of the T-shaped quick joint valve 15, thereby allowing the second color paint to circulate to the tank 11. The coating becomes fluid, and the coating on the robot arm 1 side is interrupted. Then, the cleaning work is carried out as described above, and the work moves on to the painting work of the first color paint.

Next, the male check valves 9 and 14 and the female check valve 1
The structure of the T-shaped quick joint valve 15 having the valves 6a and 16b will be explained with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

The T-shaped quick joint valve 15 consists of a straight pipe 23 and a branch pipe 24 that communicates orthogonally with the straight pipe 23, and female check valves 16a and 16b are provided at both ends of the straight pipe 23. It is being These female side check valves 16a, 16b are
It consists of a valve seat 25 and a ball 26 that is pressed against the valve seat 25 by a spring 27.
Further, the female check valves 16a and 16b are provided with connection guide grooves 28 for removably connecting them to the male check valves 9 and 14, which will be described later.

The male check valves 9 and 14 are composed of a valve seat 29, a ball 30 that is pressed against the valve seat 29 by a spring 31, and a push rod 33 that has one end in contact with the ball 30. It has a structure in which a connecting pin 32 is protruded to engage with a connecting guide groove 28 provided in the female check valves 16a, 16b.

The T-shaped quick joint valve having the above structure operates as follows.

The branch pipe 24 of the T-shaped quick joint valve 15 is connected to a hydraulic pressure (paint, cleaning liquid) supply pipe 17.
are combined. The female check valves 16a and 16b at both ends of the straight pipe 23 are connected to the male check valves 9 and 1.
4 is not connected, the ball 26 is seated on the valve seat 25 due to the pressing force of the spring 27 and the pressure of the hydraulic pressure, and is closed.

As shown in FIG. 5, by inserting the male check valve 9 into the female check valve 16a and rotating the male check valve 9 at a required angle, the pin 32 is inserted into the connecting guide groove 28.
are engaged and connected. Due to this connection, the tip of the push rod 33 provided on the male check valve 9 comes into contact with the ball 26 of the female check valve 16a, and this ball 26 and the ball 30 of the male check valve 9 are connected to the spring 27. , 31 in opposite directions to open away from the valve seats 25, 29, thereby creating a hydraulic fluid state.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the female check valve 16b
When is connected to the male check valve 14, the hydraulic pressure from the feed pipe 17 flows into the return pipe 12 for circulation.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the male check valve 9 is connected to the female check valve 16a and the female check valve 16b connected to the male check valve 14 is removed, the male check valve 9 is connected to the female check valve 16a. The stop valve 14 and the female check valve 16b automatically close,
The hydraulic pressure flows to the connected male check valve 9.

As described above, according to the present invention, the hose that communicates the male check valve placed at the tip of the robot arm with the spray gun is extremely short, so the loss of residual paint and the amount of cleaning fluid used are extremely reduced. This results in cost savings. In addition, the T-shaped quick joint valve used for color changing has a simple structure and automatically opens and closes by connecting and disconnecting with the movement of a robot arm, so it is better than conventional valves. This eliminates the need for air pressure for valve opening/closing control, eliminates the need for piping, and has the advantage of saving air pressure energy.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a side view of a conventional painting robot, Figure 2 is a side view of a conventional painting robot.
Figures A and B are side views of the main parts of the device of the present invention, Figure 3 is an enlarged side view of the main components of Figure 2, Figures 4 and 5.
The figure is a sectional view of a T-shaped quick joint valve. 1... Robot arm, 2... Spray gun,
9... Male side check valve, 10... Hose, 11... Tank, 12... Return pipe, 14... Male side check valve, 1
5...T-shaped quick joint valve, 16
a, 16b... Female side check valve, 17... Feeding pipe, 2
3... Straight pipe, 24... Branch pipe, 25...
...valve seat, 26...ball, 27...spring,
28... Connection guide groove, 29... Valve seat, 30...
...Ball, 31...Spring, 32...Pin.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A male check valve is installed at the tip of the robot arm, and a spray gun is connected to and adjacent to the male check valve, and a paint return pipe to a paint tank of a different color and a cleaning liquid return pipe to a cleaning liquid tank are installed. A male side check valve is installed in each of the return pipes, and a male side pipe at the tip of the robot arm is connected to the supply pipes from each of the paint tank and the cleaning liquid tank. A T-shaped quick joint valve is installed at both ends with female check valves that can be detachably connected to the male check valve of the return pipe, and the male check valve of the return pipe is connected to the male check valve. When the stop valve is connected to either one of the female check valves, both check valves open to allow paint and cleaning fluid to circulate and to supply paint and cleaning fluid to the spray gun. A color changing device for painting robots featuring: