Brushes for delivering glutinous substance to workpiece from end-effector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10524562-B2
Application number	US-201615143172-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2016
Priority date	Oct 15, 2015
Publication date	Jan 7, 2020
Grant date	Jan 7, 2020

Abstract

A brush for delivering a glutinous substance to a workpiece from an end-effector is disclosed. The brush comprises a body having a rotational axis. The body comprises a first end, a second end, opposite the first end, and a channel, comprising an axial inlet and an outlet. The axial inlet is at the first end of the body and is coaxial with the rotational axis. The brush also comprises bristles, extending from the body so that the bristles are not parallel to the rotational axis of the body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A brush for delivering a glutinous substance to a workpiece from an end-effector, the brush comprising:
a body having a rotational axis and comprising:
a first end;
a second end, opposite the first end; and
a channel, comprising an axial inlet and an outlet, wherein the axial inlet is at the first end of the body and is coaxial with the rotational axis; and

bristles, extending from the body so that the bristles are not parallel to the rotational axis of the body; and
wherein:
the bristles are arranged into a thatch that comprises:
a crown, opposite the first end of the body;
a base, located between the crown and the first end of the body;
a frusto-conical portion that originates at the base of the thatch;
a cylindrical portion that terminates at the crown of the thatch and wherein the cylindrical portion is contiguous with the frusto-conical portion; and
a boundary between the frusto-conical portion and the cylindrical portion;

a portion of the body, from which the bristles extend, is tapered and converges from the base of the thatch to the second end of the body in a direction along the rotational axis toward the second end of the body; and
the channel of the body is a solid cylinder that is hollow in its entirety.

2. The brush according to claim 1 , wherein:
the outlet of the channel of the body comprises an axial port, located at the second end of the body; and
the axial port is coaxial with the rotational axis of the body.

3. The brush according to claim 1 , wherein the outlet of the channel of the body comprises a lateral port between the first end of the body and the second end of the body.

4. The brush according to claim 1 , wherein a difference, in any plane perpendicular to the rotation axis and intersecting the thatch and the body, between a first radius of the thatch and a second radius of the portion of the body from which the bristles extend, increases from the base of the thatch in a direction along the rotational axis toward the crown of the thatch.

5. The brush according to claim 1 , wherein:
the outlet of the channel of the body comprises a lateral port between the first end of the body and the second end of the body; and
the lateral port is between the base of the thatch and the crown of the thatch.

6. The brush according to claim 1 , wherein:
the outlet of the channel of the body comprises an axial port ( 485 ), located at the second end of the body;
the axial port is coaxial with the rotational axis of the body ;
the thatch further comprises a cavity, coaxial with the rotational axis; and
the axial port opens into the cavity.

7. The brush according to claim 1 , wherein the bristles, extending from the body so that the bristles are not parallel to the rotational axis, are arranged into first tufts.

8. The brush according to claim 7 , wherein each of the first tufts comprises a first tip, parallel to the rotational axis of the body .

9. The brush according to claim 7 , wherein the first tufts extend from the body along paths, parallel to the rotational axis of the body.

10. The brush according to claim 9 , wherein:
the outlet of the channel of the body comprises a lateral port between the first end of the body and the second end of the body; and
the lateral port is alongside and between two of the paths, along which the first tufts extend from the body.

11. The brush according to claim 9 , wherein:
the outlet of the channel of the body comprises a lateral port between the first end of the body and the second end of the body; and
the lateral port is between two of the first tufts that extend from the body along one of the paths, parallel to the rotational axis of the body .

12. The brush according to claim 1 , further comprising second bristles, extending, parallel to the rotational axis of the body, from the second end of the body.

13. The brush according to claim 12 , wherein the second bristles, extending, parallel to the rotational axis of the body, from the second end of the body, are arranged into second tufts.

14. A brush for delivering a glutinous substance to a workpiece from an end-effector, the brush comprising:
a body, having a rotational axis and comprising:
a first end;
a second end, opposite the first end; and
a channel, comprising an axial inlet and an outlet, wherein the axial inlet is at the first end of the body and is coaxial with the rotational axis; and

bristles, extending from the body so that the bristles are not parallel to the rotational axis of the body; and
wherein:
the bristles are arranged into a thatch that comprises:
a crown, opposite the first end of the body;
a base, located between the crown and the first end of the body;
a frusto-conical portion that originates at the base of the thatch;
a cylindrical portion that terminates at the crown of the thatch and wherein the cylindrical portion is contiguous with the frusto-conical portion; and
a boundary between the frusto-conical portion and the cylindrical portion;

a first radius of the cylindrical portion of the thatch is constant from the frusto-conical portion of the thatch to the crown of the thatch; and
the channel of the body is a solid cylinder that is hollow in its entirety.

15. A brush for delivering a glutinous substance to a workpiece from an end-effector, the brush comprising:
a body, having a rotational axis and comprising:
a first end;
a second end, opposite the first end; and
a channel, comprising an axial inlet and an outlet, wherein the axial inlet is at the first end of the body and is coaxial with the rotational axis; and

bristles, extending from the body so that all the bristles, extending from the body, extend from the body at identical angles relative to the rotational axis and are not parallel to the rotational axis of the body; and
wherein:
the outlet of the channel of the body comprises an axial port, located at the second end of the body;
the axial port is coaxial with the rotational axis of the body;
the outlet of the channel of the body comprises a lateral port between the first end of the body and the second end of the body; and
the axial port is open to the lateral port to allow the glutinous substance to flow concurrently through both the axial port and the lateral port.

16. The brush according to claim 3 , wherein the lateral port is one of oblique or perpendicular to the rotational axis of the body.

17. The brush according to claim 1 , wherein the frusto-conical portion of the thatch diverges toward the cylindrical portion of the thatch.

18. The brush according to claim 5 , wherein the lateral port is between the base of the thatch and the boundary.

19. The brush according to claim 5 , wherein the lateral port is between the boundary and the crown of the thatch.

20. The brush according to claim 1 , wherein:
the portion of the body convergently tapers toward the second end of the body at a first angle to the rotational axis of the body;
at least some of the bristles extend from the body at a second angle (θ 2 ) to the rotational axis of the body; and
the first angle and the second angle are equal.

21. The brush according to claim 1 , wherein:
the portion of the body convergently tapers toward the second end of the body at a first angle to the rotational axis of the body;
at least some of the bristles extend from body at a second angle to the rotational axis of the body; and
the first angle and the second angle are different.

2

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Davancens Angelica

Classifications

• A46B2200/20

  Brushes for applying products to surfaces in general (A46B2200/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A46B13/04

  with reservoir or other means for supplying substances · CPC title

• A46B11/063

  by means of a supply pipe · CPC title

• A46B11/06

  connected to supply pipe {or to other external supply means (A46B11/0003 and A46B11/0006 take precedence)} · CPC title

• A46B9/025

  the bristles or the tufts being arranged in an angled position relative to each other · CPC title