Sprayer system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11273462-B2
Application number	US-201615353698-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2016
Priority date	Nov 26, 2015
Publication date	Mar 15, 2022
Grant date	Mar 15, 2022

Abstract

A system includes an agitation system having a container configured to store a coating material, an agitator configured to agitate the coating material, and a sensor configured to sense conditions within the container and transmit the conditions. The system also includes an agitation control system having a controller configured to turn on the agitator, and change an intensity of agitation in response to an input received from the agitation system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a sprayer located within a containment room;
an agitation system located within the containment room, comprising:
a container configured to store a coating material;
a first agitator configured to agitate the coating material; and
a sensor configured to sense conditions within the container, wherein the sensor is coupled to a wall of the container such that the sensor is positioned fully within an inner volume of the container, and wherein the sensor is configured to determine an operating condition of the first agitator; and

an agitation control system located outside of the containment room and coupled to the agitation system, comprising:
a controller configured to change an intensity of the first agitator in response to an input from the sensor.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first agitator comprises a fluid-driven agitator having one or more stripes, wherein the agitation control system comprises a fluid supply configured to deliver a fluid to drive the first agitator, and wherein the sensor is configured to detect the one or more stripes.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to operate the first agitator to agitate the coating material with an increase in the intensity if one or more parameters are not within one or more thresholds thereby indicating non-uniformity associated with the coating material, and the controller is configured to operate the first agitator to agitate the coating material with a decrease in the intensity if the one or more parameters are within the one or more thresholds thereby indicating uniformity associated with the coating material.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operating condition is a speed of the first agitator, and wherein the agitation control system is configured to begin agitation at a programmed time before spraying operations.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the sensor comprises a fiber optic cable configured to detect pulses of light to measure the speed of the first agitator.

6. The system of claim 1 , comprising:
a second agitation system, comprising:
a second container configured to store a second coating material;
a second agitator configured to agitate the second coating material; and
a second sensor configured to sense conditions within the second container, wherein the controller is configured to control the second agitator.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the first agitator and the second agitator are paired to the controller with separate wireless communication channels.

8. A method, comprising:
activating, with a controller disposed external to a containment room, a first agitator at a first time and at a first agitation intensity, wherein the first agitator is disposed within the containment room and agitates a coating material within a container;
changing, with the controller, the first agitation intensity of the first agitator in response to an input received from a sensor; and
spraying a spray coating within the containment room.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first agitator comprises a fluid-driven agitator having one or more stripes, wherein activating the first agitator comprises sending a signal to a fluid supply to deliver fluid to the first agitator, and wherein the input comprises a speed of the first agitator determined by the sensor via detection of the one or more stripes.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the sensor is configured to detect a level of the coating material within the container, wherein changing the first agitation intensity comprises changing the first agitation intensity in response to a change in the level of the coating material.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the input comprises a signal from the sensor configured to detect revolutions per minute (rpm) of the first agitator, comprising identifying a difference between the detected rpm and an expected rpm caused by varying resistance to rotation of the first agitator, and controlling the rpm of the first agitator based on the difference.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the sensor is mounted directly to a wall of the container and is positioned completely within an inner volume of the container.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the input comprises operating conditions of the first agitator, and the operating conditions comprise a difference between a detected agitation intensity of the first agitator and an expected agitation intensity of the first agitator, or a time period of agitation that is longer than a specified duration.

14. The method of claim 8 , comprising activating, with the controller, a second agitator at a second time and at a second agitation intensity, wherein the second agitator agitates a second coating material within a second container.

15. The method of claim 14 , comprising receiving, with the controller, the first time and the first agitation intensity via a first wireless communication channel; and
receiving, with the controller, the second time and the second agitation intensity via a second wireless communication channel, wherein the controller is configured to operate the first agitator at the first time and at the first agitation intensity in response to detecting the first wireless communication channel and to operate the second agitator at the second time and at the second agitation intensity in response to detecting the second wireless communication channel.

16. A system, comprising:
an agitation system configured to be located within a containment room, wherein the agitation system, comprises:
a container configured to store a coating material for a sprayer;
an agitator configured to agitate the coating material; and
a sensor configured to sense one or more parameters associated with the coating material; and

an agitation control system configured to be located outside of the containment room, comprising:
a controller configured to change an intensity of the agitator in response to an input from the sensor, wherein the agitation control system is communicatively coupled to the agitation system, wherein the controller is configured to operate the first agitator to agitate the coating material with an increase in the intensity if the one or more parameters are not within one or more thresholds thereby indicating non-uniformity associated with the coating material, and the controller is configured to operate the first agitator to agitate the coating material with a decrease in the intensity if the one or more parameters are within the one or more thresholds thereby indicating uniformity associated with the coating material.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the sensor is attached to a wall of the container such that the sensor is positioned entirely within an inner volume of the container, wherein the sensor is configured to sense conditions within the container, and wherein the sensor is configured to determine a speed of the agitator.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein one of a group of the container, the agitator, and the sensor of the agitation system is configured to communicate with the agitation control system via a first wireless communication channel, and a remaining two of the group of the container, the agitator, and the sensor of the agitation system are configured to communicate with the agitation control system via a second communication channel.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the second communication channel is a second wireless communication channel.

20. The system of claim 16 , whe

Assignees

• Carlisle Fluid Tech Inc

Inventors

• Young Ii Roy Earl

Classifications

• B01F35/212

  of the driving system data, e.g. torque, speed or power data · CPC title

• B01F27/90

  with paddles or arms · CPC title

• B01F31/20

  Mixing the contents of independent containers, e.g. test tubes · CPC title

• B01F35/221422

  Speed of rotation of the mixing axis, stirrer or receptacle during the operation · CPC title

• B01F27/80

  with stirrers rotating about a substantially vertical axis · CPC title