Applicator for applying a sealing compound to an edge-raised seam and associated operating method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9505020-B2
Application number	US-99740009-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2009
Priority date	Jun 12, 2008
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

The exemplary illustrations relate to an applicator for applying a coating to a component, for example for applying a sealing compound to an edge-raised seam on a rear side of a motor vehicle body component through a gap between two overlapping motor vehicle body components, with a nozzle for dispensing the coating means onto the rear side of the component and with an elongated curved nozzle carrier in order to position the nozzle on the rear side of the component to be coated, starting from the front side of the component to be coated. It is proposed that the nozzle carrier be curved a plurality of times such that the applicator can be guided through the gap.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An applicator for applying a sealant to a flanged seam on a rear side of a motor vehicle body component, said applicator comprising:
a nozzle opening,
an elongated nozzle carrier extending from a front side of the component and positioning the nozzle opening on the rear side of the component to be coated,
wherein the elongated nozzle carrier has a distal first leg that carries the nozzle opening, a second leg that adjoins the first leg and extends at a first angle relative to the first leg, a third leg that adjoins the second leg and extends at a second angle relative to the second leg, and a fourth leg that adjoins the third leg and extends longitudinally in a direction at a third angle relative to the third leg, and
wherein the nozzle opening faces the rear side of the component in a direction substantially parallel with the direction of the fourth leg, and the distal first leg of the elongated nozzle carrier and the nozzle opening configured to project the sealant directly onto the rear side of the component from a non-contacting position relative to the component.

2. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the applicator is adapted to apply the sealant through a gap between two laterally overlapping vehicle body components.

3. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the nozzle carrier includes two mutually adjacent-L-shaped sections.

4. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the nozzle carrier is substantially S-shaped.

5. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the nozzle carrier is adapted to project through a gap between two adjacent, laterally overlapping motor vehicle body components from the front side to the rear side of the motor vehicle body components.

6. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein
a) individual curvatures of the nozzle carrier are in each case substantially right-angled, and
b) the nozzle carrier runs in a plane.

7. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the second leg is curved with respect to the first leg with a first angle of curvature between 70° and 110°, the third leg is curved with respect to the second leg with a second angle of curvature between 70° and 110°, and the fourth leg is curved with respect to the third leg with a third angle of curvature between 70° and 110°.

8. The applicator according to claim 7 , wherein the first leg and the third leg run substantially parallel to one another, and the second leg and the fourth leg run essentially parallel to one another.

9. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the nozzle carrier is a hollow inlet pipe through which the sealant is conveyed to the nozzle.

10. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the nozzle carrier consists of a material which is elastic and has a shape memory.

11. The applicator according to claim 10 , wherein the material of the nozzle carrier is a nickel-titanium alloy.

12. The applicator according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one additional nozzle, wherein the additional nozzle is selected from the group consisting of:
a) a flat stream nozzle,
b) a round jet nozzle,
c) an airless nozzle and
d) a nozzle for flanged seam sealing.

13. A coating installation adapted for flanged seam sealing on motor vehicle body components with the applicator according to claim 1 .

14. The coating installation according to claim 13 , further comprising a measuring device which measures the geometry of the applicator.

15. The coating installation according to claim 14 , wherein the measuring device includes a light barrier.

16. The coating installation according to claim 14 , wherein a cleaning device is provided for blowing off or rinsing the applicator.

17. The coating installation according to claim 16 , wherein the measuring device is structurally integrated into the cleaning device.

18. An operating method for an applicator for applying a sealant to a flanged seam on a rear side of a motor vehicle body component, comprising:
projecting the applicator through a gap between two adjacent components from a front side to a rear side of the adjacent components, wherein the two adjacent components overlap in the lateral direction, wherein an elongated nozzle carrier has a first distal leg that carries a nozzle opening, the nozzle carrier has a second leg that adjoins the first leg and extends at a first angle relative to the first leg, the nozzle carrier has a third leg that adjoins the second leg and extends at a second angle relative to the second leg, and the nozzle carrier has a fourth leg that adjoins the third leg and extends longitudinally in a direction at a third angle relative to the third leg,
positioning the nozzle opening to face the rear side of one of the components,
coating the one of the two adjacent components with the applicator on the rear side with the sealant wherein the nozzle opening faces the rear side of the component in a direction substantially parallel with the direction of the fourth leg, the distal first leg of the elongated nozzle carrier and the nozzle opening configured to project the sealant directly onto the rear side of the component from a non-contacting position relative to the component.

19. The operating method according to claim 18 , wherein the applicator is moved along the gap.

20. The operating method according to claim 18 , wherein
a) one of the two components is a motor vehicle door, and
b) the applicator projects through the gap and the sealant is applied, whilst the motor vehicle door is closed.

21. The operating method according to claim 18 , wherein the applicator is moved by a multiple-axis robot.

22. The operating method according to claim 18 , wherein the geometry of the applicator is measured.

23. The operating method according to claim 22 , wherein the geometry of the applicator is measured by means of a light barrier.

24. The operating method according to claim 18 , further comprising:
cleaning the applicator, including blowing off with air or a cleaning fluid and/or by rinsing with a rinsing agent, wherein the geometry of the applicator is measured during the cleaning.

25. The applicator according to claim 1 wherein the first leg, the second leg, the third leg, and the fourth leg are substantially straight.

Assignees

• Rademacher Lothar
• Duerr Systems Gmbh

Inventors

• Rademacher Lothar

Classifications

• B05B15/65

  Mounting arrangements for fluid connection of the spraying apparatus or its outlets to flow conduits · CPC title

• B05B15/60 Primary

  Arrangements for mounting, supporting or holding spraying apparatus · CPC title

• B05B15/55

  using cleaning fluids · CPC title

• B05B12/00

  Arrangements for controlling delivery; Arrangements for controlling the spray area · CPC title

• B05C5/0216 Primary

  by relative movement of article and outlet according to a predetermined path · CPC title