Liquid material application device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9952602-B2
Application number	US-201415101705-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2014
Priority date	Dec 6, 2013
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

A liquid material application device can alleviate programming work for drawing a line. The device includes a discharge head ( 50 ) for discharging a liquid material, a worktable ( 25 ) on which a workpiece is placed, a robot ( 20 ) for moving the discharge head and the worktable relative to each other in XYZ directions, and a control unit including an arithmetic device and a storage device for storing an application program, the liquid material application device applying the liquid material to be drawn in the form of a line on the workpiece while the workpiece and the discharge head are moved relative to each other, the control unit includes a first control unit ( 30 ) for moving the workpiece and the discharge head relative to each other in accordance with the application program, and a second control unit ( 40 ) for controlling a discharge amount of the discharge head.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A liquid material application device comprising:
a discharge head including a discharge port for discharging a liquid material;
a discharge amount controller for controlling an amount of the liquid material discharged from the discharge port;
a worktable on which a workpiece is placed;
a robot for moving the discharge head and the worktable relative to each other; and
a control unit including an arithmetic device and a storage device for storing an application program,
the liquid material application device applying the liquid material to be drawn in the form of a line on the workpiece while the workpiece and the discharge head are moved relative to each other,
wherein the application program contains a relative movement command for moving the workpiece and the discharge head relative to each other in accordance with an application pattern,
the control unit includes a first control unit for moving the workpiece and the discharge head relative to each other in accordance with the application program comprises a storage device and an arithmetic device, and a second control unit for controlling a discharge amount of the discharge head comprises a storage device and an arithmetic device,
the application program contains description of a scalar quantity of a relative moving speed between the workpiece and the discharge head,
the first control unit has a function of transmitting the scalar quantity to the second control unit, and
the second control unit includes a conversion unit for outputting discharge amount information corresponding to the scalar quantity and has a function of automatically controlling the discharge amount of the discharge head by, on the basis of the scalar quantity transmitted from the first control unit, dynamically generating the discharge amount control command of the discharge amount controller for causing the discharge head to apply the liquid material and to draw a line in a uniform width.

2. The liquid material application device according to claim 1 , wherein the first control unit has a function of transmitting the scalar quantity to the second control unit in parallel to execution of the application program.

3. The liquid material application device according to claim 1 , wherein the conversion unit includes a conversion table that determines the discharge amount information corresponding to the scalar quantity.

4. The liquid material application device according to claim 3 , wherein the conversion table is constituted by five or more conversion tables that determine the discharge amounts corresponding to five or more different line widths.

5. The liquid material application device according to claim 3 , wherein the conversion table is used in both modes of acceleration and deceleration in common.

6. The liquid material application device according to claim 1 , wherein the conversion unit includes a conversion formula used for calculating the discharge amount corresponding to the scalar quantity.

7. The liquid material application device according to claim 1 , wherein the first control unit has a function of synchronizing control of the discharge amount of the discharge head by the second control unit and relative movement of the discharge head with each other.

8. The liquid material application device according to claim 1 , wherein the first control unit is mounted on the robot, and the second control unit is constituted by a dispense controller that is a physically separate unit, and that is connected to the robot via a cable.

9. The liquid material application device according to claim 8 , wherein the discharge head includes one selected from among a plunger type dispenser, an air type dispenser, a tubing type dispenser, and a jet type dispenser.

10. The liquid material application device according to claim 8 , wherein the discharge amount controller is mounted on the discharge head.

11. The liquid material application device according to claim 8 , wherein the discharge head includes a jet type dispenser in which a liquid material is discharged from a nozzle tip in a flying way by impinging a valve member against a valve seat that is disposed at an end of a flow path in communication the nozzle or by stopping the valve member immediately before the valve member is impinged against the valve seat, and wherein the discharge amount controller is a solenoid valve and the discharge amount control command includes a command for controlling an on-off interval of the solenoid valve.

12. The liquid material application device according to claim 1 , wherein the conversion unit includes a conversion table that determines the discharge amount information corresponding to the scalar quantity and a conversion formula used for calculating the discharge amount corresponding to the scalar quantity, and
the conversion table is used when the relative moving speed is within a predetermined speed range, and the conversion formula is used when the relative moving speed is outside the predetermined speed range.

13. The liquid material application device according to claim 1 , wherein the first control unit has a function of synchronizing control of the discharge amount of the discharge head and relative movement of the discharge head with each other by delaying a timing of transmission of the relative movement command to the robot through a predetermined time, or by previously reading the relative movement command issued to the robot and causing the second control unit to transmit the discharge amount command to the discharge head before a predetermined time from change of the relative movement command.

14. The liquid material application device according to claim 13 , wherein the discharge head includes one selected from among a plunger type dispenser, an air type dispenser, a tubing type dispenser, and a jet type dispenser.

15. The liquid material application device according to claim 1 , wherein the conversion unit is a function module that is implemented with software stored in the storage device of the second control unit.

Assignees

• Musashi Eng Inc

Inventors

• Ikushima Naotoshi

Classifications

• B25J11/00

  Manipulators not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B25J9/20

  fluidic · CPC title

• G05B2219/45065

  Sealing, painting robot · CPC title

• B05C11/1023

  responsive to velocity of target, e.g. to web advancement rate · CPC title

• B05C5/0225

  characterised by flow controlling means, e.g. valves, located proximate the outlet (B05C5/0258, B05C5/0275 take precedence; supply valves upstream the coating head B05C11/1036) · CPC title