Robotic apparatus for painting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11529644-B2
Application number	US-202016994173-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2020
Priority date	Sep 10, 2012
Publication date	Dec 20, 2022
Grant date	Dec 20, 2022

Abstract

A robotic apparatus for painting a workpiece includes a redundant axis robot for use in a robotic painting system. The redundant axis of rotation provides the robot arm additional flexibility in avoiding obstacles and reaching an interior of the workpiece to apply paint thereto. The robotic apparatus could be a seven-axis robot arm or a five-axis parallel link panel opener robot arm for opening and/or closing the panel. The robot arms are mounted on at least one vertically oriented column adjacent a path of travel of the workpiece through a painting booth and the robot arms can be mounted on a common base.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An opener robot arm for opening a vehicle body panel, said opener robot arm comprising:
a base attached to a fixed surface;
a first link rotatably coupled at a first end to the base about a first axis of rotation;
a second link rotatably coupled at a first end to a second end of the first link about a second axis of rotation which is parallel to the first axis of rotation;
a third link arranged perpendicular to the second link and rotatably coupled at a first end to a second end of the second link about a third axis of rotation which is parallel to the second axis of rotation;
a fourth link rotatably coupled at a first end to a second end of the third link about a fourth axis of rotation which is perpendicular to the third axis of rotation; and
an opener tool rotatably coupled at a first end to a second end of the fourth link about a fifth axis of rotation which is parallel to the fourth axis of rotation.

2. The opener robot arm according to claim 1 wherein the first, second and third axes of rotation are vertical and the fourth and fifth axes of rotation are horizontal.

3. The opener robot arm according to claim 2 wherein the base is attached to a wall or a vertical column of a paint booth.

4. The opener robot arm according to claim 3 further comprising a six-axis or seven-axis paint robot arm coupled to the base.

5. The opener robot arm according to claim 4 wherein the opener robot arm and the paint robot arm share a common purge.

6. A robotic painting system for painting a workpiece comprising:
a base attached to a fixed surface;
a hood/deck opener robot arm including a first link rotatably coupled at a first end to the base about a first axis of rotation, a second link rotatably coupled at a first end to a second end of the first link about a second axis of rotation which is parallel to the first axis of rotation, a third link arranged perpendicular to the second link and rotatably coupled at a first end to a second end of the second link about a third axis of rotation which is parallel to the second axis of rotation, a fourth link rotatably coupled at a first end to a second end of the third link about a fourth axis of rotation which is perpendicular to the third axis of rotation, and an opener tool rotatably coupled at a first end to a second end of the fourth link about a fifth axis of rotation which is parallel to the fourth axis of rotation; and
a paint robot arm operating in cooperation with the opener robot arm.

7. The robotic painting system according to claim 6 wherein a first link of the paint robot arm is also coupled to the base.

8. The robotic painting system according to claim 7 wherein the hood/deck opener robot arm and the paint robot arm share a common purge.

9. The robotic painting system according to claim 6 wherein the first link of the hood/deck opener robot arm is located above the base, and a first link of the paint robot arm is located below the base.

10. The robotic painting system according to claim 9 further comprising a door opener robot arm mounted below the paint robot arm.

11. The robotic painting system according to claim 6 wherein the paint robot arm is a six-axis or seven-axis paint robot arm.

12. The robotic painting system according to claim 11 wherein the paint robot arm is a seven-axis paint robot arm configured for painting an interior of a vehicle body after an opening panel of the vehicle body is opened by the hood/deck opener robot arm or a door opener robot arm.

13. The robotic painting system according to claim 6 wherein the base is attached to a wall or a vertical column of a paint booth.

14. The robotic painting system according to claim 13 further comprising additional units of the hood/deck opener robot arm and the paint robot arm mounted at other locations in the paint booth.

15. A robotic painting system for painting a vehicle body having opening panels, comprising:
a plurality of vertical columns positioned on opposite sides of a path of travel of the vehicle body through a painting booth;
a first pair of six-axis or seven-axis paint robot arms attached to a first pair of the columns on opposite sides of the path for painting a first exterior coat on the vehicle body;
two hood/deck opener robot arms each attached to one of four others of the columns, the four others of the columns being positioned two on each side of the path, where each of the hood/deck opener robot arms includes a first link rotatably coupled at a first end to the base about a first axis of rotation, a second link rotatably coupled at a first end to a second end of the first link about a second axis of rotation which is parallel to the first axis of rotation, a third link arranged perpendicular to the second link and rotatably coupled at a first end to a second end of the second link about a third axis of rotation which is parallel to the second axis of rotation, a fourth link rotatably coupled at a first end to a second end of the third link about a fourth axis of rotation which is perpendicular to the third axis of rotation, and an opener tool rotatably coupled at a first end to a second end of the fourth link about a fifth axis of rotation which is parallel to the fourth axis of rotation;
four seven-axis paint robot arms each attached to one of the four others of the columns;
a door opener robot arm mounted below each of the four seven-axis paint robot arms, where the four seven-axis paint robot arms are configured for painting an interior of the vehicle body after the opening panels have been opened by one of the hood/deck opener robot arms or the door opener robot arms; and
a second pair of six-axis or seven-axis paint robot arms attached to a second pair of the columns on opposite sides of the path for painting a second exterior coat on the vehicle body, the second pair of the columns being at a distal end of the painting booth from the first pair.

16. The robotic painting system according to claim 15 wherein the first link of each of the two hood/deck opener robot arms is located above a first link of a corresponding one of the seven-axis paint robot arms.

17. The robotic painting system according to claim 15 wherein each one of the two hood/deck opener robot arms and a corresponding one of the seven-axis paint robot arms share a common base and also share a common purge.

18. The robotic painting system according to claim 15 wherein each of the seven-axis paint robot arms includes a redundant axis of rotation positioned between a shoulder axis of rotation and an elbow axis of rotation.

19. The robotic painting system according to claim 18 wherein a waist axis of rotation of the seven-axis paint robot arm at the base and the shoulder axis of rotation are perpendicular and intersect.

20. The robotic painting system according to claim 18 wherein the redundant axis of rotation of the seven-axis paint robot arm is oriented transverse to and intersects both the shoulder axis of rotation and the elbow axis of rotation.

Assignees

• Fanuc America Corp

Inventors

• Bania Andrzej Grzegorz
• Beem Michael G
• Gerds Ii James Bryon
• Gora Marcin
• Mcclosky Stan Henry
• Moore David Michael
• Sikowski Matthew Ray

Classifications

• Y10S901/43

  Spray painting or coating · CPC title

• B05B16/40 Primary

  Construction elements specially adapted therefor, e.g. floors, walls or ceilings (ceiling elements filtering inflow of air into the booth B05B16/60; walls specially adapted for promoting separation of excess material B05B14/44) · CPC title

• B05B13/0452

  the objects being vehicle components, e.g. vehicle bodies · CPC title

• B05B13/0431 Primary

  with spray heads moved by robots or articulated arms, e.g. for applying liquid or other fluent material to three-dimensional [3D] surfaces · CPC title